Nearly a decade of research strengthens the case for vitamin D in pregnancy
A common and often overlooked nutrient deficiency may play a bigger role in pregnancy outcomes than previously recognized. In a recent analysis published in the Journal of Perinatology, neonatologist and pediatrician Carol L. Wagner, M.D., and Anjali G. Borsum, an M.D. candidate at MUSC's College of Medicine, found that among more than 15,000 pregnancies studied at MUSC, women with the lowest vitamin D levels faced the highest risk of preterm birth.
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Drawing from a large retrospective data set collected between 2016 and 2025 and leveraging extensive support from the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research (SCTR) Institute, including biostatistical and regulatory guidance, clinical research infrastructure, laboratory services and Nexus data resources, Wagner and Borsum identified a strong association between profound vitamin D deficiency and earlier gestational age at delivery. Wagner credited SCTR's comprehensive support as instrumental to the study's success.
"Without SCTR, we as a team would never have been able to accomplish what we did. It's a phenomenal infrastructure and an incredible gift to any researcher."
While the team has not yet established a definitive causal relationship, the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that optimizing a patient's vitamin D status before and during pregnancy may improve both maternal and fetal health outcomes.
Vitamin D is a vital nutrient known primarily for helping the body absorb calcium and maintain normal bone, muscle, nerve and immune health. But as Wagner and fellow MUSC basic and translational scientist Bruce W. Hollis, Ph.D., discovered in earlier randomized controlled trials, vitamin D acts as a building block for hormones that play an important role in pregnancy.