Schizophrenia may be caused by a lack of vitamin D in utero, according to a new study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study also found that low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy was also associated with an increased risk for developing the condition later in life. Researchers from the study collected blood samples, dating back to 1981, from 424 Danish individuals with schizophrenia and 424 Danish individuals in the control group. The study showed that the risk of developing schizophrenia doubled for neonates with the lowest vitamin D levels. Surprisingly, research also showed that neonates with the highest levels of vitamin D also had an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, compared to those with the fourth-highest levels. Research over the years has shown that babies born in the winter or early spring have a slightly higher chance of developing schizophrenia. This is because exposure to the sun helps our bodies produce vitamin D. Babies born at other times of the year, then, have a smaller chance of developing schizophrenia.
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