Eating Nuts In Pregnancy Enhances The Intelligence Of The Child
Future mothers who eat nuts promote optimal brain development of their children: they will have more intelligence, concentration and memory.
The first three months of pregnancy are essential for the future development of the baby’s brain and nervous system. In this period, mothers who consume nuts regularly will be favoring the intelligence, concentration and memory of their children.
Nuts, thanks to their content of proteins, fatty acids, minerals, B vitamins and antioxidant compounds, reduce oxidative stress and the risks of hypertension and diabetes. They also produce a very positive effect on the development of unborn babies.
Nuts promote neuropsychological development
A study led by scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has shown that a diet abundant in nuts during the first trimester of pregnancy is related to optimal long-term neuropsychological development of the child.
The work, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, has been carried out in Spain with more than 2,200 mother and child couples within the INMA-Childhood and Environment Project.
Children’s neuropsychological development was assessed with standardized tests at 18 months, 5 years, and 8 years after birth. Children whose mothers had eaten more nuts performed better on all tests that assessed their cognitive abilities, concentration, and memory.
Foligo acid and omega-3
Florence Gignac, first author of the study, explains that the benefits observed may be due to the richness of walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pine nuts and hazelnuts in folic acid, omega-3 and omega-6. These nutrients are especially important for the development of the frontal areas of the brain, which influence memory and executive functions.
The benefits have been found in the children of mothers who consumed just under three weekly servings of 30 grams each. However, this amount is still below that recommended by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC), which advises taking three to seven servings per week. This makes researchers think that the benefits could still be greater than those observed.
The authors believe that babies are more receptive to the effect of the mother’s feeding during the first weeks of gestation due to the accelerated development of their brain.
Reference:
Gignac et al. Maternal nut intake in pregnancy and child neuropsychological development up to 8 years old: A population-based cohort study in Spain. European Journal of Epidemiology.
