Newborn vitamin D deficiency linked to higher risk of ADHD, schizophrenia, autism: Study
Newborn babies with a vitamin D deficiency have a higher chance of later developing mental disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia and autism, a major study involving The University of Queensland has found.
In the largest population study of its kind, researchers examined vitamin D status of 71,793 people, many of whom had a mental health disorder diagnosed during childhood and early adulthood.
Professor John McGrath from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, led the study that was based at the National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, and the State Serum Institute in Denmark.
He said they examined 6 mental disorders: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anorexia nervosa.
“We found evidence that people with lower vitamin D concentration as a baby had an increased risk of schizophrenia, ASD and ADHD,” Professor McGrath said.
“Previous research had linked neonatal vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of schizophrenia and autism, but this study examined a wider range of mental disorders, and included evidence based on two vitamin D-related biomarkers and related genetics.”
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