Essay on Vitamin D: Essential for Healthy Bones, May Reduce Autism Risk in Children

Vitamin D is a vitamin that is fat-soluble and present in very few foods, it is, however, obtained from sunlight. It is essential for healthy bones and, if insufficient, can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Higher levels of vitamin D in maternal and newborns reduces the risk of autism in children. Autism is a disorder that is developmental and is characterized by difficulty in communication and social interaction. Its symptoms can be noticed as early as within the first three years of a child's life. Below is the discussion of how Vitamin D reduces hyperactive disorder in children with an autism spectrum disorder.

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Autism spectrum disorder is a brain-related condition that influences an individual perspective and socialization with others. Due to the range of signs and symptoms, the word spectrum is used. It is described by a group of neurodevelopment disorders. It occurs in boys than in girls often (Saad et al., 2016). There are different types of autism, five subtypes which are without or with accompanying intellectual impairments, with catatonia, associated with another mental, neurodevelopment or behavioral disorder, without or with accompanying language disorder and associated with environmental factor, known medical or genetic condition. Some of the causes of autism in children are low birth weight, having a family member with autism who is immediate, metabolic imbalances, viral infection history, genetic disorders and X syndrome that is fragile, born of older parents, genetic mutation and environmental toxins and heavy metal exposure (Saad et al., 2016).

Delays in social development or language can be early signs of autism. This may include things like difficulty in sharing emotions, maintaining a back and forth conversation, or sharing an interest. There might issue with nonverbal communication such as reading body language or maintaining eye contact. Difficulty in maintaining and developing a relationship can also be evident. The behavior pattern can be repetitive or restricted such as fixated preoccupation, rigid adherence to specific behaviors or routines, and repetitive speech patterns, movements, or motions. Autism development by an individual is determined by genetics and the environment. To diagnose autism, screening, evolution, and genetic tests may be conducted.

There is no autism cure; however, therapies such as play therapy, physical therapy, behavioral therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy alongside other treatment considerations may be used to make the individuals feel better. These approaches differ from a person to another with autism. It is important to be aware of autism in order to understand it and take the proper precautions that might help.

Low vitamin D levels have been associated with an increased risk of autism at birth. Autism symptoms in children may be improved by the consumption of vitamin D3 supplements. Low vitamin D levels are associated with impaired physical and motor performance. It is, however, unclear the specific mechanism developmental vitamin D (DVD) induces changes in behavior in an offspring (Vinkhuyzen et al., 2018). An important role in the regulation of a range of neurochemicals and molecular factors that are fundamental to the function and brain development id played by vitamin D. Several brain system changes are induced by insufficient developmental vitamin D. Some of these changes entails enlarged lateral ventricles, increased brain size, and dysregulated dopaminergic system. Conducting vitamin D treatment during gestation has also shown a reduction in autism spectrum disorder associated behaviors that are linked to cerebellar development.

Vitamin D plays a role in brain development circuits relevant to autism spectrum disorder. Deficiency of vitamin D affects the right reflex causing a latency that is longer to the right, here vestibular and cerebellar mediated postural development are accessed by negative geotaxis and righting reflex assessment (Vinkhuyzen et al., 2018). Calls can be greater and lauder in cases of vitamin D deficiency as a signal for distress. When it comes to retrieval behavior, deficiency of DVD may not have an effect, it may, however, have an effect on maternal care behavior. When it comes to motor development, studies show that a mother with deficiency vitamin D during pregnancy likely has children whose gross motor skills are low at the age of 30 months. Under this righting and geotaxis assessment is done by assessment of vestibular development and cerebellar mediated postural.

At an early stage of DVD deficiency offspring's, there might be mechanisms acting that is non-cerebellar. Deficiency in vitamin D may also be involved in vestibular dysfunction according to accumulated evidence. In the semicircular canal duct, there is vitamin D express; this canal duct is a vestibular system major part. Repetitive behavior that is a stereotype for vitamin D deficient children may modulate stereotyped behaviors. Serotonin concentration in the brain at birth is significantly influenced by vitamin D. Vitamin D is also implicated in the regulation of the gene synthesizing serotonin, TPH-2, and metabolism of serotonin (Seyedi et al., 2019).

There is also a reduction of social interaction during adolescence for children with low vitamin D. This comes about as a result of longer interaction latency with other individuals. This may cause the children with an autism spectrum disorder to find it difficult to socialize with their peers at large. Vitamin D deficiency may also result in induced hypo locomotion. In children, there are reduced movements; this may be as a result of anxiety which in turn causes reduced hyper activeness

Vitamin D has effects on brain function and development as a neuroimmunomodulator that results in neuropsychiatrist and behavior diseases. Some components of the immunosystem affect adaptive and congenital immunity. Some of these cells are T cells, cytokines, B cells, and even regulatory T cells (Seyedi et al., 2019). Vitamin D supports normal brain growth, modulates matrix metalloproteinase and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, and increases neuroprotection. All of these are vital brain components. Brain abnormalities result with a deficiency in vitamin D as well as weak tissue differential, expressions of neurotrophic factors get reduced, and lateral ventricles get enlarged. Children with autism spectrum disorder are found to have lower levels of vitamin D, which may be the cause of the etiopathogenesis of ADHD (Seyedi et al., 2019).

As early as the prenatal stage, deficiency in vitamin D begins to impact on brain development. With the broad range of behavioral abnormalities that are triggered with insufficient vitamin D in children. It is important, for both the parent and the child to have sufficient vitamin D so as to minimize the risk exposure of the infants, especially during pregnancy. From the evidence, showing that autism spectrum disorder is an early brain development disorder, at early neonatal stages, certain behavioral abnormalities can be detected. It can also be noted that some pathogenic mechanisms induced by deficiency in DVD are thought to contribute to ASD increased risk. Other environmental factors share a pathway with these mechanisms implicated in autism spectrum disorder. These include exposure of prenatal to valproic acid and immune activation of the maternal.

Some behavioral phenotypes have been revered by vitamin D administration, which further suggests that Vitamin D may tap into a convergent mechanism behind multiple adverse environmental factors implicated in ASD. We can conclude that vitamin D deficiency impacts on infants and exposes them to an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder. This further affects the children as they grow up by reducing their hyperactivity. All the discussed factors above contribute to the devastating outcome of autism.

References

Saad, K., Abdel-rahman, A. A., Elserogy, Y. M., Al-Atram, A. A., Cannell, J. J., Bjorklund, G.... & Abd El-Baseer, K. A. (2016). Vitamin D status in autism spectrum disorders and the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in autistic children. Nutritional neuroscience, 19(8), 346-351.

Seyedi, M., Gholami, F., Samadi, M., Djalali, M., Effatpanah, M., Yekaninejad, M. S., ... & Honarvar, N. M. (2019). The Effect of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Serum BDNF, Dopamine, and Serotonin in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS & Neurological Disorders), 18(6), 496-501.

Vinkhuyzen, A. A., Eyles, D. W., Burne, T. H., Blanken, L. M., Kruithof, C. J., Verhulst, F., ... & McGrath, J. J. (2018). Gestational vitamin D deficiency and autism-related traits: the Generation R Study. Molecular psychiatry, 23(2), 240-246.