Scientists have shed new light on the role of the placenta in managing the relationships between maternal vitamin D and fetal development, according to a study published today in eLife.
The findings demonstrate a complex interplay between vitamin D and the placenta, and could help inform future interventions using vitamin D to support fetal development and maternal adaptations to pregnancy.
As vitamin D is unable to be produced by a fetus, it must be transferred across the placenta. This is important for both fetal and lifelong health. Maternal vitamin D concentrations are positively associated with fetal bone growth and birth weight, and these associations continue into postnatal life.
Previous work has suggested that maternal vitamin D transfers passively across the placenta, but the current study challenges this idea.
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