Neonatal vitamin D status linked to mental disorder risks

Individuals with vitamin D deficiency as neonates face a heightened risk of mental disorders, according to a study.

Researchers looked at a population-based, case-cohort sample of 88,764 individuals born in Denmark. Of these, 24,240 had major depressive disorder, 1,928 had bipolar disorder, 3,540 had schizophrenia, 18,726 had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 16,146 had autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 3,643 had anorexia nervosa, and 30,000 were randomly sampled from the general population.

Concentrations of two vitamin D biomarkers, namely 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), were measured using neonatal dried blood spots. These concentrations were assessed in relation to the risks of the six mental disorders. Additionally, Mendelian randomization analyses were conducted based on published summary statistics for 25(OH)D, DBP, and the six mental disorders.

A total of 65,952 and 66,797 individuals had 25(OH)D and DBP measurements, respectively. Neonatal 25(OH)D concentrations showed significant inverse associations with schizophrenia (hazard ratio [HR], 0.82, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.78–0.86), ASD (HR, 0.93, 95 percent CI, 0.90–0.96), and ADHD (HR, 0.89, 95 percent CI, 0.86–0.92).

Meanwhile, neonatal DBP concentrations had a significant inverse relationship with only schizophrenia (HR, 0.84, 95 percent CI, 0.80–0.88).

Mendelian randomization analysis indicated that higher concentrations of 25(OH)D (adjusted for DBP) were significantly associated with a reduced risk of both ASD and schizophrenia.

The findings point to the potential of optimizing neonatal vitamin D status in reducing the incidence of a range of neurodevelopmental disorders.