By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Stacey Sexton

Pregnant women who get lots of sunshine may be less likely to have children with type 1 diabetes, according to a new study in the journal Diabetes.

The study, led by Ingvild M. Sørensen of Oslo University Hospital Ullevål in Oslo, Norway and colleagues, shows that children whose mothers' serum vitamin D levels during pregnancy were very low were more than twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes when compared to those born to women who had  serum levels of vitamin D in the upper quartile. 

Previous studies had suggested that mothers taking a vitamin D

supplement during pregnancy or giving their children a vitamin D supplement during their early childhood may reduce the risk of developing type 1

diabetes in the children.

The study was meant to test whether or not the children born to women with lower serum levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D or 25-OH D during pregnancy would have an increased risk for type 1 diabetes. 

From a study of 29,072 women in Norway, the researchers tested vitamin D levels in 109 women who had a child that developed type 1 diabetes before15 years of age and 219 women whose children did not have the disease. They conducted statistical analyses to see if there was any association between serum vitamin D levels and the odds of developing type 1 diabetes.

The researchers determined that children born to women who had low levels of serum vitamin D during pregnancy were twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes compared to those who had high levels.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile onset diabetes, is a condition in which individuals can't produce insulin, or produce only a minuscule amount. Insulin is needed to control blood sugar.

Type 1 diabetes often occurs in children, adolescents or young adults. 

People with type 1 diabetes should eat the same foods at the same times day to day so that blood sugar can be better managed.  Exercise may also help people with the condition.

Humans can synthesize vitamin D after exposure to sunshine.  It is believed that 15 to 20 minutes of exposure at the hottest time of the day may provide a sufficient amount of this vitamin.  Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of more than 100 health conditions, including 17 types of cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.