Mum's diet during pregnancy 'strongly associated' with child's IQ, study finds

A survey has recovered that a mother's fare during gestation tin person a long-lasting impact connected a child's IQ and encephalon operation earlier they are adjacent born

A person's fare during gestation could importantly interaction their child’s encephalon operation and cognitive relation for implicit a decade, according to a groundbreaking study. The research, which took decades to complete, has shed airy connected the profound power parents tin person connected their children’s IQ and encephalon operation adjacent earlier they are born.

While it is communal cognition that definite foods and substances should beryllium avoided during pregnancy, researchers successful the Netherlands person discovered the long-lasting affirmative effects of circumstantial maternal diets. They recovered that a healthier prenatal fare resulted successful larger encephalon volume, improved encephalon structure, and amended cognitive outcomes successful children.

These effects were astir pronounced until astir property 10, aft which they began to somewhat diminish. Published successful The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the survey assessed the IQ of children aged betwixt 8 and 14.

Over 6,000 expectant mothers who were owed to springiness commencement betwixt 2002 and 2006 participated successful the research. Their diets during the archetypal trimester were evaluated based connected however intimately they adhered to the Netherlands' nationalist dietary guidelines.

The 'better prenatal diets' were those that followed these guidelines much strictly. The researchers identified the archetypal trimester arsenic a "critical window" for the unborn child’s encephalon development, with a healthier fare during this play powerfully linked to the child’s cognition and encephalon structure.

The children underwent MRI scans, IQ tests and different evaluations passim their lives, with an mean IQ of 103 astatine the property of 8. The survey besides recovered that amended prenatal diets were associated specifically with stronger matrix reasoning and vocabulary scores successful the children.

By the clip they reached 10 years old, determination were important associations betwixt prenatal fare and subcortical volumes, grey matter, achromatic matter, and full encephalon volumes. However, by the property of 14, the nexus betwixt prenatal fare and a child's cognitive abilities and encephalon operation began to weaken erstwhile the child's ain fare was considered.

Further probe is needed connected this ground-breaking discovery, with aboriginal studies acceptable to analyse the effects arsenic the children turn into adults, the interaction connected circumstantial areas of the brain, and the inclusion of participants from much divers populations.