Maternal body composition may have a significant impact on the child’s neurodevelopment

“Consumption of fish by expectant mothers in late pregnancy may enhance the cognitive and language skills in their children at two years of age.”
Researchers found that 2-year–old children born to mothers with no gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or obesity showed positive neurodevelopmental outcomes as compared to those born to mothers with GDM and/or obesity.
The study utilised data from 243 mother–child pairs from a longitudinal, placebo-controlled, randomised trial, which was conducted in 2019. The neurodevelopment of children was evaluated using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III), which included cognitive, motor, and language scales. Additionally, trained physiotherapists performed a structured neurological examination of the children using the Hammersmith Infants Neurological Examination (HINE). Multiple methods were employed to assess maternal dietary intake.

Maternal GDM/obesity may affect children’s neurodevelopment in the later stages of life.

The Bayley-III and HINE scores indicated that children born to mothers with GDM had lower scores on expressive language scales compared to those born to mothers without GDM. 
The study also revealed a negative correlation between high maternal fat percentage during early pregnancy and children's cognitive, motor, and expressive language skills. Furthermore, the children's cognitive and receptive language scores were negatively impacted by the high maternal fat percentage. 
These findings are consistent with prior research that demonstrated a relationship between maternal GDM and poor expressive language skills in children aged 1.5–7 years.
 

Diet quality and nutrient intake of mothers can impact children’s expressive language skills.

Additional results from the study showed the impact of maternal diet during late pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of children. Specifically, a high-quality diet during this period was positively associated with expressive language scores in children. 
Maternal carbohydrate intake during late pregnancy showed a positive association with gross motor skills in children. Conversely, high maternal fat intake during late pregnancy was found to be negatively associated with fine motor skills in children.
Researchers also found that maternal fish intake during late pregnancy had a positive correlation with expressive language scores of 2-year–old children.
 

Modulating maternal body composition and diet can improve children’s neurodevelopment.

The results of this study indicate that following precautions during pregnancy can help in improving children's neurodevelopment:

• Improving maternal metabolic health by preventing disorders such as GDM
• Preventing or managing maternal obesity and lowering the body fat composition of pregnant mothers
• Improving the diet quality, lowering the fat intake, and increasing fish consumption during pregnancy

Thus, maternal body composition as well as the diet quality during pregnancy can significantly impact children’s neurodevelopment. The findings of the study strongly emphasise on improving the metabolic health of pregnant women and their diet quality through expert counselling and support. This may improve the neurodevelopment of children in the early stages of life.
 

Reference: Saros L, Lind A, Setänen S, et al. Maternal obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus, and diet in association with neurodevelopment of 2-year̶old children. Pediatr Res. 2023.