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Associations of maternal zinc and magnesium with offspring learning abilities and cognitive development at 4 years in
Jun S Lai1, Shirong Cai1,2, Lei Feng3
1Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science and Technology Research, Singapore, Singapore.
Insights
Maternal zinc and magnesium levels during pregnancy show specific links to early childhood cognitive skills. Higher maternal zinc was linked to better picture description, while higher magnesium correlated with improved letter identification in children at age four.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Prenatal mineral deficiencies, specifically zinc and magnesium, are linked to adverse cognitive development in children.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for identifying potential interventions to support child cognitive outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal plasma zinc and magnesium levels during pregnancy and cognitive development in 4-year-old children.
- To assess specific cognitive domains including school readiness, working memory, and language skills.
Main Methods:
- Maternal plasma zinc and magnesium were measured at 26-28 weeks' gestation.
- Cognitive development was assessed in 715 children at age 4 using standardized tests, including the Lollipop test.
- Linear regression models were used to analyze associations, adjusting for relevant confounders.
Main Results:
- Higher maternal zinc concentrations were associated with improved performance in specific aspects of the Lollipop test (picture description and spatial identification).
- Higher maternal magnesium concentrations were linked to better scores in letter and writing identification (Lollipop subtest 4).
- No significant associations were found for other cognitive tests, suggesting limited long-term impact on broader cognitive development.
Conclusions:
- Maternal zinc and magnesium levels during pregnancy may have a targeted influence on certain aspects of early cognitive development.
- These findings highlight the importance of adequate prenatal nutrition for specific cognitive skills, though broad long-term effects were not evident in this cohort.
Abstract:
Objectives: Minerals deficiencies during pregnancy have been shown to be associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in offspring. This study aimed to investigate associations of maternal plasma zinc and magnesium concentrations with cognitive development in 4-year old children from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcome cohort.Methods: Maternal plasma zinc and magnesium concentrations were measured at 26-28 weeks' gestation. The Lollipop test of school readiness, tests of working memory, number knowledge, receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness were performed in children at 4 years. Associations were examined in 715 mother-offspring pairs using linear regressions adjusted for key confounders.Results: Maternal plasma zinc and magnesium concentrations were 812 ± 144 µg/L and 19.9 ± 1.8 mg/L (mean±SD); 19% and 71% of mothers were zinc deficient and magnesium insufficient, respectively. After adjustment for multiple testing, higher maternal zinc concentrations (per SD increment) were associated with 0.35 higher scores in Lollipop subtest 2 of picture description and spatial identification (95% CI: 0.13, 0.58); higher maternal magnesium concentrations (per SD increment) were associated with 0.65 higher scores in Lollipop subtest 4 of letters and writing identification (95% CI: 0.23, 1.07).Discussion: No significant associations were observed for other tests, suggesting little long term influences of maternal zinc and magnesium on child's cognitive development.
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