Vitamin D status of pregnant women linked to muscle strength of offspring

A woman’s vitamin D status during pregnancy could be positively associated with the muscle strength of her offspring, according to a study by Southampton researchers published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2014;99:330).

Children’s grip-strength at four years of age was positively correlated with increased maternal serum vitamin D concentration at 34 weeks of pregnancy (P=0.013).

The prospective, population-based study analysed data from 678 mother-offspring pairs. The women were part of the Southampton Women’s Survey.