Maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy is associated with adiposity in the offspring: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey.

BACKGROUND: Low vitamin D status has been linked to adiposity, but little is known of the effects of low status in pregnancy on offspring body composition. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine how maternal vitamin D status relates to lean and fat mass of the offspring. DESIGN: The offspring of 977 pregnant women, who had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] measured at 34 wk gestation, were followed up within 3 wk of birth and at 4 and 6 y of age for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry assessment of lean and fat mass. RESULTS: The median maternal serum 25(OH)D concentration was 62 nmol/L (IQR: 43-89 nmol/L); 35% of the women studied had values