OT: Maternal Vitamin D Intake in Food Decreases Risk of Autoimmune Diabetes in Offspring

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Maternal Vitamin D Intake in Food Decreases Risk of Autoimmune Diabetes

in Offspring

Diabetes Care 2003;26:3237-3242.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 15 - In utero dietary exposure to vitamin

D - but not supplement ingestion -- protects against islet autoimmunity

(IA) in offspring, according to results of a study published in the

December issue of Diabetes Care.

Dr. Jill M. Norris and colleagues from the University of Colorado Health

Science Center, in Denver, examined whether an association exists

between maternal dietary intake of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and

omega-6 fatty acids during pregnancy and the appearance of IA in

offspring. They asked 233 mothers of children newly recruited to the

Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) to recall their food

and nutritional supplement intake during pregnancy using the Willett

food frequency questionnaire.

The researchers followed the children for a mean of 4 years for the

appearance of insulin, gestational diabetes mellitus, and IA-2

autoantibodies. Sixteen subjects developed at least one autoantibody

during follow-up.

Univariate analysis showed that maternal intake of vitamin D through

food was significantly associated with a decreased risk of the

appearance of IA in offspring (HR = 0.49). This association remained

significant after adjustment for HLA genotype, family history of type 1

diabetes, presence of gestational diabetes mellitus, and ethnicity (HR =

0.37). The group of mothers with affected children had an average daily

vitamin D intake in food of 167.6 IU, while the group with unaffected

children had an average intake of 252.3 IU.

" Interestingly, we did not find an association between vitamin D intake

via supplements and IA, which is similar to observations in another

epidemiological study, " the authors write. " The reasoning is not clear, "

but could be due to different bioavailability or to the presence of an

unidentified nutrient in vitamin D-containing foods.