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A new study presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting suggests that increased vegetable intake during the third trimester of pregnancy may boost children’s cognitive abilities later in life. The research focused on polyphenols, bioactive compounds found in fruits and vegetables, and their effects on cognitive development in offspring.
The study, led by Chelsey Fiecke, PhD, of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, followed 124 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through childhood. Maternal polyphenol intake was estimated using three-day food records, and children’s cognitive abilities were assessed at ages 5 and 8 using standardized tests such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-II and the Wide Range Achievement Test .
Key findings included:
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No significant impact from early pregnancy: Polyphenol consumption in the first trimester showed no positive effects on children’s cognitive scores; in fact, higher intake was negatively associated with some IQ measures.
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Second trimester neutral: Polyphenol intake during the second trimester had no significant association with cognitive outcomes.
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Third trimester benefits: Greater maternal polyphenol intake in the third trimester was associated with higher scores in reading, spelling, and verbal IQ at age 8. Children also scored higher on the Similarities subtest, which measures verbal reasoning.
Dr. Fiecke noted that these results suggest a critical window for prenatal polyphenol exposure, similar to other nutrients important for brain development, such as docosahexaenoic acid. “It suggests that polyphenols may have similar functionality to other nutrients that play roles in brain and cognitive development,” she said.
Catherine Haut, DNP, director of Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice at Nemours Children’s Health, emphasized the importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and the need for future studies to include more diverse populations and to track children’s polyphenol intake after birth. “Maternal nutrition will most likely reflect what is then fed to their children,” Haut said.
Limitations and Future Directions
The study was limited by its small sample size and focus on a single state, highlighting the need for broader, more diverse research. Future studies could benefit from tracking children’s fruit and vegetable intake from early infancy and expanding to larger, varied populations.
Disclaimer
This news article is based on a recent study presented at a scientific meeting and published on Medscape. The findings are preliminary, and the study had a limited sample size and geographic focus. The results should be interpreted with caution, and further research is needed to confirm these associations in larger and more diverse populations. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, especially during pregnancy.1
