Poor nutrition linked to lowered IQ, behavioral problems, study shows

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Poor nutrition linked to lowered IQ, behavioral problems, study shows

A research team made up of scientists from the Southwest Foundation for

Biomedical Research, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San

and Friedrich Schiller University in Germany has found that inadequate

nutrition during the early stages of pregnancy impairs fetal brain development.

The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell

division and neurological growth in the fetuses of baboons when the mothers were

fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy. Brain development was

compared to fetuses of baboons where the mothers were fed a normal diet. This

study challenges the commonly held notion that during pregnancy the mother is

able to protect the fetus from the affects of poor nutrition, according to the

researchers.

The study was published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the German Federal

Ministry of Education and Research.

“This study is a further demonstration of the importance of good maternal

health and diet,†says senior author Mc with the UT Health

Science Center. “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 I.Q. and predisposing to

behavioral problems.â€

The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research is one of the world’s leading

independent biomedical research institutions. ...

A research team made up of scientists from the Southwest Foundation for

Biomedical Research, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San

and Friedrich Schiller University in Germany has found that inadequate

nutrition during the early stages of pregnancy impairs fetal brain development.

The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell

division and neurological growth in the fetuses of baboons when the mothers were

fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy. Brain development was

compared to fetuses of baboons where the mothers were fed a normal diet. This

study challenges the commonly held notion that during pregnancy the mother is

able to protect the fetus from the affects of poor nutrition, according to the

researchers.

The study was published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the German Federal

Ministry of Education and Research.

“This study is a further demonstration of the importance of good maternal

health and diet,†says senior author Mc with the UT Health

Science Center. “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 I.Q. and predisposing to

behavioral problems.â€

The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research is one of the world’s leading

independent biomedical research institutions. Scientists are working to find

cures for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, psychiatric

disorders, problems of pregnancy, AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, parasitic infections

and a host of other infectious diseases. It is located in San .

The UT Health Science Center is San ’s leading educator in the fields

of medicine, nursing, dentistry and allied health.