Vitamin D deficiency can lead to numerous diseases including certain cancers, rickets, diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance and multiple sclerosis. However, a recent study by researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute has found that vitamin D deficiency also shares a possible link with autism.

In the study, researchers examined blood samples from more than 4,000 women and their children and noticed a trend between low vitamin D levels at 20 weeks during pregnancy and children with autistic traits.

Vitamin D is essential for bone development and maintaining bone structure through phosphorus and calcium regulation. Sun exposure is the most common way to attain vitamin D, but foods such as mushrooms and fish also contain the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency is increasing as more people stay inside which also happens to coincide with the rise of autism cases, further debunking the vaccine myth.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, flawed communication and repetitive behavior. According to the CDC, about 1 percent of the world population has autism spectrum disorder and more than 3.5 million Americans have the condition. This new study has provided evidence for vitamin D as being an important factor in brain development and is helping researchers around the world understand the causes of autism.

Currently, there are no known causes or cures for autism, only speculations, but this new link between low vitamin D levels and autism is crucial for understanding other neurodevelopmental disorders such as down syndrome and schizophrenia. With this new study, pregnant women are being encouraged to take vitamin D supplements as a preventative to minimize the possibility of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Although further research is yet to be done, the Australian scientists who participated in the study are pioneers in searching for a cause and possibly a cure for autism and similar disorders.