Maternal vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of obesity in male offspring mice by affecting the immune response

Combination effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure and nutrients supplement during pregnancy on obesity in Chinese preschool children

Objective

This study aimed to explore the combination effects of prenatal exposure to environment tobacco smoke (ETS) and nutrients supplement during pregnancy on childhood obesity in preschoolers.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 58,814 child-mother dyads from 235 kindergartens in Longhua District of Shenzhen, China in 2021. A self-administered structured questionnaire was completed by mothers to collect socio-demographic characteristics, prenatal ETS exposure, and nutrients supplement in pregnancy, and preschoolers' heights and weights were measured at the same time. After controlling for potential confounding variables, logistic regression models and cross-analyses were used to examine the independent and combination effects of maternal prenatal ETS exposure and nutrients supplementation during pregnancy on obesity in preschool children.

Results

The results of our study showed that prenatal ETS exposure increased the risk of childhood obesity (AOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.11-1.34) in preschoolers. In addition, risk of childhood obesity was significantly higher when mothers didn't take supplements of multivitamins (AOR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.05-1.20), folic acid (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.10-1.37) and iron (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04-1.19) during pregnancy. The cross-over analysis showed that the combination of prenatal ETS exposure with mothers taking no multivitamins (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.21-1.62), no folic acid (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.12-2.14) and no iron (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.19-1.59) during pregnancy also increased the risk of obesity among Chinese preschoolers. We also discovered additive interactive effects between prenatal ETS exposure and no maternal multivitamin, folic acid and iron supplementation in pregnancy on the risk of obesity in preschoolers.

Conclusion

The combination of prenatal exposure to ETS with no supplementation of these nutrients might jointly increase the risk of childhood obesity. Public health interventions are needed to reduce prenatal exposure to ETS and to encourage mothers to take appropriate multivitamin, folic acid and iron supplements during pregnancy.

The effect of maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy on glycolipid metabolism of offspring rats and the improvement of vitamin D intervention after weaning

Background

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is common, but whether maternal vitamin D status affects glycolipid metabolism of offspring remains unclear.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy on the glycolipid metabolism of offspring at different life-cycles (from birth to adulthood) and to explore the improvement of different dosages of vitamin D supplementation.

Methods

Sprague-Dawley rats were fed vitamin D-deprived (VDD group) or standard vitamin D diets (SC group) during pregnancy, and their diets were changed to standard vitamin D diets during lactation (the offspring were sorted into VDDoffspring and SCoffspring groups). After weaning, rats in the VDDoffspring group were randomly assigned to the VDDoffspring, VDDoffspring-S3300 and VDDoffspring-S10000 groups with diets containing standard, medium and high dosages of vitamin D for 12 wk. Serum was collected for biochemical analyses at postnatal Day 21, postnatal Day 56 and postnatal Day 84. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at postnatal Day 70.

Results

Compared to SCoffspring, rats in the VDDoffspring group had significantly lower birth weight with faster weight gain and higher levels of lipid metabolism in early life. After near adulthood, the differences in weight and lipid metabolism between the two groups disappeared. OGTT showed significantly higher blood glucose levels in the VDDoffspring group at 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min. The continuation of vitamin D supplementation at medium and high dosages after weaning did not cause any obvious changes in weight or glycolipid metabolism (except for postprandial hyperglycemia). OGTT demonstrated that the glucose levels in the VDDoffspring-S3300 group were lowest at all the time points and that those in the VDDoffspring-S10000 group were the highest at 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min among the three groups.

Conclusion

The adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy on glycolipid metabolism in offspring vary in different stages. Over a long time period, adequate vitamin D supplementation is beneficial to glycolipid metabolism for the offspring of subjects with vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy; however, further improvement is required.

The Role of Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency in Offspring Obesity: A Narrative Review

Currently, vitamin D (VD) deficiency during pregnancy is widespread globally, causing unfavorable pregnancy outcomes for both mothers and infants for a longer time than expected, based on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory. As VD plays a key role in maintaining normal glucose and lipid metabolism, maternal VD deficiency may lead to obesity and other obesity-related diseases among offspring later in life. This review mainly focuses on the effect of maternal VD deficiency on offspring lipid metabolism, reviewing previous clinical and animal studies to determine the effects of maternal VD deficit on offspring obesity and potential mechanisms involved in the progression of offspring obesity. Emerging clinical evidence shows that a low VD level may lead to abnormal growth (either growth restriction or largeness for gestational age) and lipid and glucose metabolism disorders in offspring. Here, we also outline the link between maternal VD deficiency and life-long offspring effects, including the disorder of adipogenesis, the secretion of adipocytokines (including leptin, resistin, and adiponectin), activated systemic inflammation, increased oxidative reactions in adipose tissue, insulin resistance, and abnormal intestinal gut microbiota. Thus, there is an urgent need to take active steps to address maternal VD deficiency to relieve the global burden of obesity.

Impact of vitamin D on maternal and fetal health: A review

The role of vitamin D in improving maternal health and reducing the risk of developmental disorders in fetus has been an important domain of research since the past few years. Vitamin D, owing to its immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, developmental roles, and regulating calcium homeostasis, is predicted to have a significant influence on maternal and fetal health status. Several observational studies and clinical trials, determining the impact of vitamin D on gestational diabetes, C-section, postpartum depression, pre-eclampsia, miscarriages, and preterm delivery, have been elaborated in this review. In addition, fetal birth defects including neurological development, reduced birth weight, respiratory infections, bone development, and altered anthropometrics have also been summarized with available evidences. Other important mechanisms related to the roles of vitamin D in the body are also explained. Furthermore, recent studies determining the effect of vitamin D at genetic level will also help in understanding and future design of research in the area of maternal and fetal health.

A bibliometric analysis of global research on vitamin D and reproductive health between 2012 and 2021: Learning from the past, planning for the future

Background

Vitamin D plays an invaluable role in reproductive health, but vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are generally common among couples of childbearing age and pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution, development trend, and research hotspot of publications on vitamin D and reproductive health.

Methods

The literature on vitamin D and reproductive health between 2012 and 2021 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). We used VOSviewer and CiteSpace to analyze publication years, countries, institutions, journals, highly cited authors and publications, and co-occurrence and citation bursts of keywords.

Results

A total of 1,828 articles and reviews on vitamin D and reproductive health published between 2012 and 2021 were identified. The annual publication outputs showed steady growth, with the most publications (272) and citations (7,097) in 2021. The United States contributed the most publications (458) and had the highest h-index (58). In terms of the number of publications and h-index, the journal named Nutrients ranked first. Nutrition dietetics, obstetrics gynecology, and endocrinology metabolism were three well-represented disciplines in research on vitamin D and reproductive health. Hollis BW, Wagner CL, and Litonjua AA were the top three most productive authors in this field during the last decade. Apart from vitamin D, the five keywords with the most frequent occurrence were vitamin D deficiency, pregnancy, risk, vitamin D supplementation, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Keyword citation burst analysis revealed that low birth weight, adipose tissue, marker, and embryo had a citation burst lasting until 2021.

Conclusion

In conclusion, vitamin D has received continuous attention in the field of reproductive health, and there appears to have a higher level of research in North America. Multidisciplinary intersection contributed to the in-depth exploration in this field. And the effect of maternal vitamin D levels on fetal lipid metabolism and the prediction of fertility by vitamin D-related markers might be hotspots for the research.

Second-trimester 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in pregnant women from southern China and risk of macrosomia: a large-scale retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

The association between maternal vitamin D concentrations and birth weight is controversial. We conducted a large-scale retrospective cohort study in southern China to explore this relationship.

METHODS

From July 2017 to April 2019, we enrolled 10,586 pregnant women and measured serum vitamin D [via 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D] in the second trimester using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. The association between macrosomia and 25(OH)D was analyzed using logistic regression and ROC curve.

RESULTS

Average vitamin D concentration was 61.1 ± 20.2 nmol/L. Additionally, 31.1% participants had 25(OH)D concentrations <50.0 nmol/L, while 68.9% exhibited concentrations ≥50.0 nmol/L. Of the subjects, 3.2% of women delivered macrosomic infants (neonatal birth weight ≥4000 g) and 96.8% did not. The macrosomia group had lower vitamin D concentrations than the non-macrosomia group (59.5 ± 22.3 vs. 61.2 ± 20.1, p < .05). Approximately a third of each group had vitamin D < 50.0 nmol/L (non-macrosomia, 31.3%; macrosomia, 35.9%; p = .055). After adjusting for confounding variables, women with 25(OH)D ≥ 50.0 nmol/L had 24.3% lower macrosomia risk than women with 25(OH)D < 50.0 nmol/L (adjusted OR = 0.757, 95% CI = 0.599-0.956, p = .0193). The predictive accuracy of vitamin D concentrations for evaluating macrosomia risk was 0.667 area under the ROC curve.

CONCLUSION

Maternal vitamin D levels are negatively correlated with macrosomia. Elevating vitamin D above 50.0 nmol/L may reduce macrosomia incidence.

The Nature of Immune Responses to Influenza Vaccination in High-Risk Populations

The current pandemic has brought a renewed appreciation for the critical importance of vaccines for the promotion of both individual and public health. Influenza vaccines have been our primary tool for infection control to prevent seasonal epidemics and pandemics such as the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus pandemic. Certain high-risk populations, including the elderly, people with obesity, and individuals with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, are more susceptible to increased disease severity and decreased vaccine efficacy. High-risk populations have unique microenvironments and immune responses that contribute to increased vulnerability for influenza infections. This review focuses on these differences as we investigate the variations in immune responses to influenza vaccination. In order to develop better influenza vaccines, it is critical to understand how to improve responses in our ever-growing high-risk populations.