Intake of vitamin D supplements during the first trimester of pregnancy is likely to prevent the development of autism traits in children, researchers found in a study on mice.
Autism – or autism spectrum disorder – describes lifelong developmental disabilities including difficulty or inability to communicate with others and interact socially.
The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Darryl Eyles, professor at University of Queensland. “We found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop these deficits,” Eyles added.