How what you eat affects your child’s neurodevelopment

The study found that 2-year-old children whose mothers were diagnosed with gestational diabetes demonstrated worse language skills compared to children whose mothers were not diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

A new study from the University of Turku has shown that maternal gestational diabetes can have a negative impact on neurodevelopment in two-year-olds. Conversely, research has shown that a mother’s healthy and balanced diet contributes to the development of the child’s nervous system.

A study by researchers from the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland highlighted the crucial role that a mother’s health and lifestyle play in regulating the development of her baby’s nervous system. The study specifically looked at the effects of gestational diabetes, obesity, and maternal diet during pregnancy on neurodevelopment in two-year-olds.

The research project studied the development of cognitive, language and motor skills in children. Maternal obesity was determined using air displacement plethysmography, and gestational diabetes was determined using an oral glucose tolerance test. Food intake during pregnancy was assessed using a diet quality index and fish intake questionnaires.

“On average, according to our data, the development of the nervous system in children was within the normal range. The results of our study showed that 2-year-old children whose mothers were diagnosed with gestational diabetes had lower language skills than children whose mothers were not diagnosed with gestational diabetes,” says research doctor Lotta Saros from the Institute of Biomedicine at the University New York. Turku.

In addition, the study found that a higher percentage of maternal body fat was associated with poorer cognitive, language, and motor skills in children.

“Our observation is unique because previous studies have not examined the relationship between maternal body composition and neurodevelopment in children,” says Saros.

Gestational diabetes and obesity, especially high body fat, adversely affect maternal metabolism and increase inflammation in the body. In fact, these are the likely mechanisms through which harmful factors affect the development of the child’s nervous system.

Mother’s diet during pregnancy may affect baby’s neurodevelopment

The study also showed that a better dietary quality of a mother’s diet was associated with better child language development. A similar finding was also found between mother’s consumption of fish and the development of the child’s nervous system.

The results point to the same conclusion that a quality diet contains the unsaturated fatty acids found in fish, for example. Mild unsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, contribute to the development of the nervous system in children.

“A healthy, holistic diet during pregnancy may be especially beneficial for neurodevelopment in children whose mothers are at risk for gestational diabetes due to being overweight or obese,” says Professor Kirsi Laitinen, who leads the University of Turku’s Early Nutrition and Health Research Group. who conducted the study.

Reference: Maternal obesity, gestational diabetes and neurodevelopmental diet in 2-year-olds Lotta Saros, Annika Lind, Sirkku Setenen, Christiina Tertti, Ella Koivuniemi, Annarilla Ahtola, Lina Haataja, Nitin Shivappa, James R Ebert, Tero Wahlberg and Kirsi Laitinen, January 3, 2023, Pediatric Research.
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02455-4