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The association between maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy and child neuropsychological
Júlia Puig-Vallverdú1, Dora Romaguera2, Sílvia Fernández-Barrés3
1Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Insights
Maternal intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) during pregnancy was linked to lower verbal scores in children. This study highlights the impact of maternal diet on early childhood neurodevelopment, specifically verbal skills.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Maternal ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy may negatively impact child development.
- Previous research linked sugar-sweetened beverage intake to cognitive issues, but the effect of total UPF consumption was unstudied.
- This study investigated the association between maternal UPF intake and child neurodevelopment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the association between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) during pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- To assess the impact of dietary patterns, specifically UPF intake, on cognitive development in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A Spanish birth cohort (INMA project) of 2377 mother-offspring pairs was analyzed.
- Maternal dietary intake in the third trimester was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, with UPFs identified by NOVA classification.
- Child neuropsychological development was evaluated using the Bayley Scales (1-year-old) and McCarthy Scales (4-5 years-old).
Main Results:
- Maternal UPF consumption averaged 17% of the total diet, with sugar-sweetened beverages being the most frequent UPF.
- Children of mothers in the highest UPF tertile (≥28.9% of diet) showed significantly lower scores on the Verbal Scale of the McCarthy Scales compared to the lowest tertile (≤7.2%).
- No significant associations were found with other cognitive domains assessed by the McCarthy Scales or with the Bayley Scales.
Conclusions:
- Maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy is associated with adverse effects on verbal functioning in early childhood.
- Verbal ability is a critical cognitive domain affected by prenatal exposure to UPFs.
- Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms linking UPF intake and child neurodevelopment.
Background & Aims:
Maternal ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy may adversely affect child development. Pregnancy sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (as a part of UPF) has been associated with child cognitive dysfunction in the general population, but the role of total UPF consumption during pregnancy in later child neuropsychological development has not been studied. We aimed to analyse the association between maternal pregnancy UPF consumption and child neurodevelopment.
Methods:
This study involved 2377 pairs of pregnant women and their offspring from a Spanish birth cohort (recruitment period: 2004-2008, INMA project). Dietary intake was estimated using a 101-item food frequency questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy. The NOVA classification was used to identify UPFs, and their consumption was calculated as the daily percentage of total food consumption and categorized into tertiles. Child neuropsychological development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (1-year-old, n = 1929) and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (4-5 years-old, n = 1679). Potential associations were analysed using multivariate linear regression models adjusted for a range of family and child characteristics.
Results:
UPF consumption among pregnant women represented an average of 17% of the total diet, with sugar-sweetened beverages being the most commonly consumed type of UPF (40%). Children born to mothers in the highest tertile of UPF consumption (28.9% or more of the total diet) vs the lowest tertile (7.2% or less), showed a lower score (B = -2.29 [95% Confidence Interval (CI), -4.13; -0.46]) in the Verbal Scale of the McCarthy Scales (p-for-trend = 0.02). No associations were observed with the McCarthy Scales assessing other cognitive domains or with the Bayley Scales.
Conclusion:
Of the seven cognitive domains studied, we observed an adverse association between maternal consumption of UPF during pregnancy and verbal functioning in early childhood, which is an important cognitive domain of neurodevelopment.
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