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Neonatal vitamin D levels and cognitive ability in young adulthood

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Abstract

Purpose

Intelligence has a strong influence on life capability, and thus, identifying early modifiable risk factors related to cognitive ability is of major public health interest. During pregnancy, vitamin D is transported from the mother to the fetus through the placenta in the form of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Levels of 25(OH)D have in some studies been associated with childhood neurodevelopment; however, results from all studies are not in agreement. We investigated if neonatal 25(OH)D3 concentrations were associated with Børge Priens IQ test score (BPP) in young adulthood.

Methods

In this nested cohort study, 25(OH)D3 concentrations were measured in dried blood spots from 818 newborns. We followed the children for their IQ BPP test scores in the Danish Conscription Register, which holds information on test results from the BPP test on individuals who have been recruited for Danish mandatory military draft board examination. Using general linear models, we investigated the crude and adjusted relationship between quintiles of 25(OH)D3 concentrations and BPP IQ test results.

Results

The study population consisted of 95.8% men, with a mean age of 19.4 years. The median and range of the neonatal 25(OH)D3 levels were 26.2 nmol/L (0–104.7 nmol/L). The overall Wald test did not show an association between neonatal 25(OH)D3 levels and BPP IQ scores (p = 0.23); however, individuals within the 3rd (BPP IQ = 101.0, 98.0–103.9) and 4th (BPP IQ = 101.2, 99.1–104.3) quintiles had slightly higher BPP IQ scores than individuals from the first quintile (BPP IQ = 97.6, 94.6–100.6).

Conclusions

Our results support the hypothesis that individuals with the lowest levels of neonatal vitamin D might have slightly lower BPP. However, more studies are needed with larger study populations to confirm our results.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was funded by the Programme Commission on Health, Food and Welfare under the Danish Council for Strategic research (Grant number 0603-00453B). We are further grateful to the Oak Foundation for the essential co-financing of the Parker Institute. The funder had no role in data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Nordre Fasanvej 57, Vej 8, Entrance 11, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    Ina Olmer Specht, Fanney Thorsteinsdottir, Peder Frederiksen & Berit L. Heitmann

  2. Section for General Practice, The Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Janet Janbek & Berit L. Heitmann

  3. The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Berit L. Heitmann

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  1. Ina Olmer Specht
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Correspondence to Berit L. Heitmann.

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Specht, I.O., Janbek, J., Thorsteinsdottir, F. et al. Neonatal vitamin D levels and cognitive ability in young adulthood. Eur J Nutr 59, 1919–1928 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02042-0

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