Pregnant women who catch the sunshine may help their children be physically stronger, according to British researchers.
The Southampton University study links a mother’s level of vitamin D – which can depend on sunshine – to the strength of her child’s muscles.
Researchers found that children at the age of four had stronger hand grip if their mother had high levels of vitamin D during pregnancy.
The 678 women in the study had undergone measuring of their vitamin D levels in the later stage of pregnancy.
The researchers said pregnant women were advised to take vitamin D supplements – but this often did not happen.
The findings have been reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Professor Cyrus Cooper, who oversaw the work, said: "This study forms part of a larger programme of research in which we are seeking to understand how factors such as diet and lifestyle in the mother during pregnancy influence a child’s body composition and bone development.
"This work should help us to design interventions aimed at optimising body composition in childhood and later adulthood and thus improve the health of future generations."
Researcher Dr Nicholas Harvey added: "It is likely that the greater muscle strength observed at four years of age in children born to mothers with higher vitamin D levels will track into adulthood, and so potentially help to reduce the burden of illness associated with loss of muscle mass in old age."
Maternal Antenatal Vitamin D Status and Offspring Muscle Development: Findings From the Southampton Women’s Survey Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism January 2014
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