Maternal vitamin D status impacts bone mass of lumbar spine in offspring.(Obstetrics)

HARROGATE, ENGLAND -- A woman's vitamin D status in late pregnancy is predictive of her offspring's lumbar spine volumetric bone density at age 9, a prospective study has shown.

The findings add to the growing body of evidence confirming that a woman's diet while pregnant can influence her child's later bone mass, said Nicholas W. Harvey, B. Chir.

The results of the population-based investigation also point to the potential efficacy of preventive measures to protect children's bone health, Dr. Harvey said in a presentation at the annual conference of the National Osteoporosis Society. "Vitamin D supplementation in pregnant women who are deficient may optimize peak accrual of bone mineral in their offspring," he stated.

The investigation included 210 offspring of mothers enrolled in a larger cohort study of maternal nutrition and fetal development conducted by Dr. Harvey and his colleagues at the MRC environmental epidemiology unit of the University of Southampton (England). The mothers completed a questionnaire regarding their diet and lifestyle beginning from early pregnancy.

Anthropometric measures were recorded, including mid-upper arm circumference, which is a potential indicator of maternal nutritional status. The mothers gave venous blood samples in late pregnancy for the measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and other nutrients. Concentrated umbilical cord blood was collected at birth to measure calcium, albumin, and phosphate.

The investigators recorded the size and weight of the offspring at birth. When the children reached age 9 years, they underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for bone mass measurement. Because bone mineral density measured by DXA represents the areal density ...