Higher vitamin D intake in pregnancy linked to some cognitive benefits in children | CNN

Pregnant women are routinely advised to take prenatal vitamins for their health and their baby’s development. Now, a new study published Monday in JAMA Network Open concluded that children whose mothers received higher-dose vitamin D supplements during pregnancy performed better on certain memory tests at age 10. What exactly did the study find? How meaningful were the differences? Should pregnant women start taking higher doses of vitamin D? And what do experts say are the risks of taking too much? To help us with these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner. CNN: What did this new study find about vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and children’s cognition? Dr. Leana Wen: This study was a randomized clinical trial conducted in Denmark that followed nearly 500 children until age 10. Researchers examined whether higher-dose vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy was associated with cognitive performance later in childhood. The trial included hundreds of women who were randomly assigned during pregnanc

May 21, 2026 → Jun 5, 2026