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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

448

Prenatal vitamin B12 status and cognitive functioning in children at 4 years of age: The ECLIPSES Study

Josué Cruz-Rodríguez1, Josefa Canals-Sans1,2,3, Carmen Hernández-Martínez1,2,3

  • 1Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain.

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|November 8, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Maternal vitamin B12 levels in early pregnancy are linked to better working memory in 4-year-olds. Adequate B12 during the first trimester supports cognitive development, impacting preschooler working memory performance.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Nutritional Science
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to cognitive deficits in children.
  • The association between maternal vitamin B12 and cognitive function in preschoolers remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between maternal vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy and cognitive function in 4-year-old children.
  • To determine if vitamin B12 levels in the first versus third trimester differentially impact child cognition.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal prospective study of 249 mother-child pairs in Spain (2013-2017).
  • Maternal vitamin B12 levels measured in the first and third trimesters.
  • Child cognitive function assessed at age 4 using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) and NEPSY-II.

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between first-trimester maternal vitamin B12 and children's working memory index.
  • Children of mothers with higher vitamin B12 levels (second and third tertiles) in early pregnancy scored significantly higher on the working memory index.
  • No significant association was observed between third-trimester vitamin B12 levels and children's working memory.

Conclusions:

  • Maintaining adequate maternal vitamin B12 during early pregnancy is crucial for optimal working memory development in preschool-aged children.
  • First-trimester vitamin B12 status appears more critical than third-trimester status for this specific cognitive outcome.
  • These findings highlight the importance of prenatal nutrition for long-term child cognitive outcomes.

Keywords:
ECLIPSES Studychild developmentchildren's healthcognitive functioningpregnancyprenatal nutritionvitamin B12 levels

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