Higher intake of nuts in early pregnancy enhances neuropsychological development and reduces peer problems in children: Study
It is already known that Maternal diet during pregnancy is associated with child development. Nuts are nutrient-dense foods and provide fatty acids, vitamins, fibre, minerals and proteins.
Pregnant women who consume nuts may potentially reduce the likelihood of their 5-year-old children experiencing peer problems, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.
This study determined the association between maternal nut intake during pregnancy and childhood risk of behavioural problems in 5-year-old Japanese children.
One thousand one hundred ninety-nine mother-child pairs participated in the study, and their dietary intake was assessed using a diet history questionnaire. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to evaluate emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and low prosocial behaviour problems, with adjustments made for confounding factors, including potentially related dietary factors.
Pregnant women who ate nuts had a reduced risk of peer problems in children, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.64, compared with mothers who did not consume nuts during pregnancy. There were no measurable associations between maternal consumption of nuts during pregnancy and the risk of problems like emotional conduct, hyperactivity, and low prosocial behaviour.
Nut, when consumed in pregnancy, reduces the risk of peer problems in children, according to this study.
We confirmed our hypothesis of a relation between maternal consumption of nuts during pregnancy and childhood behavioural problems. To the best of our knowledge, the present pre-birth cohort study was the first to show an independent inverse association of maternal nut intake during pregnancy with the risk of peer problems in children. 21
prebirth prospective cohort design, large sample size, extended follow-up were the strengths of this study.
Reference:
Nguyen, Mai Quynh, et al. "Nut Consumption During Pregnancy Is Associated With Decreased Risk of Peer Problems in 5-year-old Japanese Children." Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2024.
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