Summary: A new long-term study finds that a child's diet early in life, as well as mom's prenatal diet (specifically the amount of folic acid and oily fish), may affect intelligence and behavior.
By Joanne Van Zuidam | Posted: September 17, 2013
Researchers from the NUTRIMENTHE project, a five-year study on the impact of diet on emotional and cognitive development of children, found a link between the diet of mothers, infants, and children and long-term mental performance. The study involved children from birth until age nine from hundreds of European families already enrolled in population studies and nutritional intervention studies.
As reported in Science World Report, researchers looked at the effect of B-vitamins, folic acid, breast milk versus formula milk, iron, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development of children.
They study results highlight a few nutrients that we already know to be beneficial for babies: Folic acid, taken as part of a prenatal diet, is necessary for neural development. And oily fish, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, the "building blocks" for brain cells.
In the NUTRIMENTHE study, folic acid taken during pregnancy was found to reduce the likelihood of behavioral problems in early childhood. And eating oily fish was beneficial, early in life, not only for it omega-3 content, but for its iodine. The mineral iodine was shown to have a positive effect on reading ability in children when measured at age nine.
The long-term study was crucial since short-term studies seem unable to detect the real influence of nutrition, said lead researcher Cristina Campoy, professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Granada, Spain. Because the brain takes a long time to mature, early deficiency may have far-reaching effects.
While other factors can affect mental performance in children — the parent's educational level, socio-economic status of the parents, age of the parents — the researchers found that the genetic background of the mother and child can play a role.
Genetics can influence how certain nutrients are processed and transferred during pregnancy and breastfeeding and in turn, affect mental performance, according to a university press release.
"It is important to try to have good nutrition during pregnancy and in the early life of the child and to include breastfeeding if possible, as such 'good nutrition' can have a positive effect on mental performance later in childhood," Professor Campoy said.
"However, in the case of genetics, future studies should include research on genetic variation in mothers and children so that the optimum advice can be given. This area is relatively new and will be challenging!" she said.
In the meantime, their research will contribute to science-based dietary recommendations for pregnant women and children.
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