Schizophrenia and Vitamin D Levels in Pregnancy

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that often requires medications to manage symptoms. Recently, researchers from the University of Queensland and Aarhus University looked at the levels of vitamin D at birth and likelihood of becoming schizophrenic. They looked at over 2600 individuals between 1981 and 2000 in Denmark. What was found is that babies with low vitamin D had a 44% greater risk of having schizophrenia later in life.  This is quite an important and significant finding. Past studies have also seen an association with low vitamin D and autism. Vitamin D is a neurosteroid that is an important molecule for many functions in the body. While we are not sure, it is possible vitamin D helps lower inflammation in the brain. Also, vitamin D can help turn the genes on and off that are related to building healthy nerve cells. Finally, it is been shown that vitamin D levels during pregnancy help modify the brains ability to make and use dopamine– this might be a key for the developing brain at that seminal age in terms of risk of schizophrenia. Read More