Editorial: From mom’s diet to child’s big brain: in search of brain-optimal pregnancy diets. Image Credit: Saulich Elena / Shutterstock
By Priyanjana Pramanik, Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, NEWS Medical & Life Sciences,
In a recent editorial published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers assessed how maternal prenatal diet quality affects brain structure and the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children between 10 and 14 years of age. Their findings indicate that high-quality maternal diets during pregnancy significantly influence children’s brain structure along with cognitive outcomes that are mediated by structural brain changes.
Background
The human brain grows rapidly during gestation and childhood, requiring adequate nutrition to support its high energy demands. Proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life is crucial for laying the foundation for cognitive development. Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can harm neurodevelopment, alter gene expression, and cause lasting brain structural changes.
Research is shifting focus from individual nutrients to overall prenatal dietary patterns, recognizing the synergistic effects of different nutritional components. Better diet quality while pregnant has been linked to improved cognitive development in early and mid-childhood. Prenatal poor diets are associated with lower IQ, while healthy diets relate to better executive functioning and cognitive skills in children.
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