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Molecular Autism
Published in: Molecular Autism 1/2022

Open Access 01-12-2022 | Research

Maternal vitamin D during pregnancy and offspring autism and autism-associated traits: a prospective cohort study

Authors: Paul Madley-Dowd, Christina Dardani, Robyn E. Wootton, Kyle Dack, Tom Palmer, Rupert Thurston, Alexandra Havdahl, Jean Golding, Deborah Lawlor, Dheeraj Rai

Published in: Molecular Autism | Issue 1/2022

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Abstract

Background

There has been a growing interest in the association between maternal levels of vitamin D during pregnancy and offspring autism. However, whether any associations reflect causal effects is still inconclusive.

Methods

We used data from a UK-based pregnancy cohort study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) comprising 7689 births between 1991 and 1992 with maternal blood vitamin D levels recorded during pregnancy and at least one recorded outcome measure, including autism diagnosis and autism-associated traits. The association between each outcome with seasonal and gestational age-adjusted maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D during pregnancy was estimated using confounder-adjusted regression models. Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data, and restricted cubic splines were used to investigate nonlinear associations. Mendelian randomization was used to strengthen causal inference.

Results

No strong evidence of an association between maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D during pregnancy and any offspring autism-associated outcome was found using multivariable regression analysis (autism diagnosis: adjusted OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.90–1.06), including with multiple imputation (autism diagnosis: adjusted OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.93–1.06), and no evidence of a causal effect was suggested by Mendelian randomization (autism diagnosis: causal OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.46–2.55). Some evidence of increased odds of autism-associated traits at lower levels of maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was found using spline analysis.

Limitations

Our study was potentially limited by low power, particularly for diagnosed autism cases as an outcome. The cohort may not have captured the extreme lows of the distribution of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and our analyses may have been biased by residual confounding and missing data.

Conclusions

The present study found no strong evidence of a causal link between maternal vitamin D levels in pregnancy and offspring diagnosis or traits of autism.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Maternal vitamin D during pregnancy and offspring autism and autism-associated traits: a prospective cohort study
Authors
Paul Madley-Dowd
Christina Dardani
Robyn E. Wootton
Kyle Dack
Tom Palmer
Rupert Thurston
Alexandra Havdahl
Jean Golding
Deborah Lawlor
Dheeraj Rai
Publication date
01-12-2022
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Autism / Issue 1/2022
Electronic ISSN: 2040-2392
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00523-4

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