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Non-autistic siblings had higher vitamin D levels at birth – Jan 2015

Autism spectrum disorder and low vitamin D at birth: a sibling control study

Molecular Autism 2015, 6:3 doi:10.1186/2040-2392-6-3
Elisabeth Fernell, Susanne Bejerot, Joakim Westerlund, Carmela Miniscalco, Henry Simila, Darryl Eyles, Christopher Gillberg and Mats B Humble

Background
Insufficient vitamin D activity has attracted increasing interest as a possible underlying risk factor in disorders of the central nervous system, including autism.

Methods
In this study, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was analysed in 58 Sweden-born sibling pairs, in which one child had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the other did not. The study group consisted of two representative samples; 47 Gothenburg sibling pairs with mixed ethnicities and 11 Stockholm sibling pairs with Somali background. 25(OH)D levels were analysed in the stored dried blood spots taken in the neonatal period for metabolic screening.

Results
The collapsed group of children with ASD had significantly lower vitamin D levels (M = 24.0 nM, SD = 19.6) as compared with their siblings (M = 31.9 nM, SD = 27.7), according to a paired samples t-test (P = 0.013). The difference was - most likely - not only accounted for by a difference in season of birth between ASD and non-ASD siblings since the mean 25(OH)D levels differed with similar effect size between the sibling pairs born during winter and summer, respectively.
All children with African/Middle East background, both the children with ASD and their non-ASD siblings, had vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusions
The findings suggest that low prenatal vitamin D may act as a risk factor for ASD, however, there is a need for replication with larger samples. Future research should study whether or not adequate supplementation of vitamin D to pregnant women might lower the risk for ASD in the offspring.

 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life.

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Created by admin. Last Modification: Thursday February 28, 2019 11:10:47 GMT-0000 by admin. (Version 9)

Attached files

ID Name Comment Uploaded Size Downloads
4902 ASD Dark skin.jpg admin 15 Jan, 2015 14:21 25.45 Kb 911
4901 ASD siblings.pdf PDF 2015 admin 15 Jan, 2015 14:21 243.70 Kb 828
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