Maternal vitamin D supports baby’s brain.

This large-scale prospective pregnancy cohort study examines the association between maternal circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations in pregnancy and offspring neuropsychological development.

Higher circulating concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in pregnancy was associated with improved mental and psychomotor development in infants.

Mothers with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have children with slower brain development and lower mental and motor skills, warn researchers.

–Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 in Pregnancy and Infant Neuropsychological Development Pediatrics 2012; 130:4 e913-e920

Maternal Vitamin C Deficiency during Pregnancy Persistently Impairs Neural Development

Planning to have a baby? Better pay careful attention to your vitamin C intake! Even marginal vitamin C deficiency in the mother stunts the fetal hippocampus, the important memory center, by 10-15 per cent, preventing the brain from optimal development.

Population studies show that between 10-20 per cent of all adults in the developed world suffer from vitamin C deficiency. Therefore, pregnant women should think twice about omitting their daily prenatal.

–Maternal Vitamin C Deficiency during Pregnancy Persistently Impairs Hippocampal Neurogenesis. PLoS One. 2012;7(10)

–Vitamin C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep; 90(3):540-6. Epub 2009 Jul 29.