Poor diet in early pregnancy damages the brain of babies

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Poor diet in early pregnancy damages the brain of babies

Poor eating habits or dieting during early pregnancy could damage the

intelligence of your baby, new research suggests.

Researchers found that a low calorie diet affected brain development which could

lower IQ and also lead to behavioural problems later in life.

The team at the University of Texas found decreased formation of cell-to-cell

connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the foetuses of

mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy.

" This is a critical time window when many of the neurons as well as the

supporting cells in the brain are born, " said Dr ielsz.

The team compared two groups of baboon mothers, but believe the findings are

relevant for humans.

One group ate as much as they wanted during the first half of pregnancy while

the other group was fed 30 per cent less, a level of nutrition similar to what

many prospective mothers experience, especially if they have morning sickness.

They found the low calorie diet caused restrictions in the growth of hundreds of

neurons and affected hundreds of genes.

It is known that marked nutrient restriction, such as in famine conditions,

adversely affects development of the fetal brain.

Its effect is worse in teenage mothers – who are still growing – and older

mothers who are less efficient at supplying nutrients to their babies.

Dr Mc, the co-author, said: " This study is a further demonstration

of the importance of good maternal health and diet.

" It supports the view that poor diets in pregnancy can alter development of

fetal organs, in this case the brain, in ways that will have lifetime effects on

offspring, potentially lowering IQ and predisposing to behavioural problems. "

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences.