Vitamin D and Its Role During Pregnancy in Attaining Optimal Health of Mother and Fetus

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 216

Special Issue Editors

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Randers Regional Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicin, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: role of vitamin D in pregnancy; urogynecology; urinary infection; early and accurate diagnostic of diseases
Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: role of vitamin D and trace metals such as zinc in relation to inflammation; metabolic syndrome and pregnancy and placental function; nutrition and obesity in relation to placental function; brain development and brain function

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vitamin D deficiency is still a global problem that affects approximately one billion people worldwide, including a large part of the pregnant population. Regional differences apply, but prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women is believed to range from 20% to 85%.  Through the vitamin D receptors, which are present in various cells and tissues, vitamin D affects vital cells functions and metabolic processes, such as DNA repair, antioxidant activity, cell regulation, proliferation, and cell differentiation. This underlines that vitamin D can have many physiological functions throughout the human body and during human development. Vitamin D deficiency may result in adverse effects on growth, bone health and muscle function, regulation of the immune system, and regulation of blood glucose and insulin action. As a neurosteroid, vitamin D is also believed to play an important role in brain development and brain function.

The health consequences of vitamin D deficiency include increased risk of bone disease; diabetes mellitus; respiratory diseases; cardiovascular diseases; autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis; and an increased risk of developing cancer.  

In pregnancy, vitamin D deficiency is strongly associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and gestational diabetes. Moreover, prenatal exposure to low levels of vitamin D affects health in later life, such as an increased risk of obesity, an increased risk of schizophrenia and several conditions related to the immune system, including asthma, autoimmunity related conditions type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

Hence, this Special Issue aims to focus on vitamin D and its role during pregnancy and the role of vitamin D in supporting and regulating prenatal development.  We encourage articles focused on the need for vitamin D in attaining optimal health conditions for mothers, fetuses, and children in later life, especially those articles that can elucidate underlying mechanisms related to vitamin D effects on maternal health, placental function, and brain development. We therefore invite original research papers, review articles, and meta-analyses, short communications based on clinical and preclinical data on this topic.

We hope that the new knowledge generated from this Special Issue will improve the existing evidence for the optimization of vitamin D status in pregnancy and new insights into human development.

Dr. Pinar Bor
Dr. Agnete Larsen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • epigenetic
  • fetal development
  • inflammation
  • metabolic disorders
  • metabolimics
  • microbiota
  • nutrition
  • offspring
  • placenta
  • pregnancy
  • vitamin D
  • vitamin D receptor

Published Papers

There is no accepted submissions to this special issue at this moment.
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