新研究得出更多證據證明:維生素D或能預防自閉症

New research provides further evidence to suggest that sufficient vitamin D while pregnant can have health benefits for future children, with a recent Australian study suggesting that the vitamin could help prevent autism traits in offspring.

新研究提供進一步證據，表明懷孕期間攝入足夠的維生素D能爲寶寶的未來發展帶來健康益處，最近的一項澳大利亞研究表明維生素D或能預防後代的自閉症。

Autism -- or autism spectrum disorder -- is a lifelong condition where sufferers experience developmental disabilities such as an inability to communicate with others, interact socially, or fully comprehend the world.

自閉症，或是自閉症譜系障礙，是一種終身性疾病，患者會經歷發育障礙，比如無法與他人交流、無法與社會互動，或無法完全地理解世界。

In their animal study, a team of researchers from the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute used the most widely accepted developmental model of autism, in which the mice behaved abnormally and demonstrated problems with social interaction and basic learning.

在他們對動物的研究中，一組來自昆士蘭大學昆士蘭大腦研究所的研究人員使用了最爲廣泛接受的自閉症發展模式，研究中，小老鼠表現異常，並出現社交和基本學習障礙。

The team of researchers gave the pregnant mice active vitamin D supplements, and found that pregnant females treated with active vitamin D in the equivalent of the first trimester of pregnancy produced offspring that did not develop autism deficits.

這組研究人員讓懷孕的老鼠攝入活性維生素D補充劑，並發現：孕期前三個月攝入活性維生素D的小老鼠的後代不會產生自閉症障礙。

The discovery provides further evidence of the crucial role vitamin D plays in brain development, said lead researcher Professor Darryl Eyles, with the results also backing up QBI's other recent human studies on the effect of vitamin D on autism.

該發現進一步表明：維生素D對大腦發育至關重要，首席研究員達里爾·艾爾斯教授說道，該研究結果還支持了昆士蘭大腦研究所最近開展的維生素D對自閉症影響的其它人類研究。

QBI's 2016 study carried out with the Erasmus Medical Centre in The Netherlands looked at blood samples from 4229 pregnant women and found that those who had low vitamin D levels at 20 weeks' gestation were more likely to have a child with autistic traits by the age of six, suggesting a link between low vitamin D and brain growth and neurodevelopmental disorders.

2016年昆士蘭大腦研究所與荷蘭伊拉斯姆斯醫學中心共同開展的一項研究對4229名孕婦進行了血樣檢測，並發現在妊娠20周時維生素D低的孕婦，她們的孩子更有可能在6歲的時候發展自閉症特徵，這就表明維生素D攝入量低與大腦發育、神經發育障礙之間存在聯繫。

However commenting on the results of the new study, researcher Dr Wei Luan also pointed out that although vitamin D is crucial for health, including maintaining healthy bones, the active hormonal form of vitamin D cannot be given to pregnant women because it may affect the skeleton of the developing fetus.

然而，在評論新研究的結果時，研究員魏欒博士也指出：儘管維生素D對健康至關重要，能維持健康的骨骼，但孕婦不能攝入維生素D中的活性激素，因爲這可能會影響發育中胎兒的骨骼。

However, he also added that, "Recent funding will now allow us to determine how much cholecalciferol -- the supplement form that is safe for pregnant women -- is needed to achieve the same levels of active hormonal vitamin D in the bloodstream."

然而，他還指出，"現在有了資金，我們能夠確定需要多少膽鈣化醇--孕婦可安全攝入的補充劑--就能在血液中達到和活性激素維生素D相同的效果。"

Vitamin is produced by skin cells when exposed to sunlight, however it can also be found in some foods including oily fish (salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and mackerel), calf's liver, soy and egg yolks.

當暴露在陽光下時，皮膚細胞能產生維生素，但有些食物也含有維生素，包括富含脂肪的魚類（三文魚、鱒魚、金槍魚、沙丁魚和鯖魚）、小牛的肝、大豆和蛋黃。