Maternal dietary patterns and offspring behavioral problems

Background

Mental health problems often begin in early childhood and could predict psychiatric and behavioral outcomes. Prenatal factors such as maternal nutrition have an impact on neurodevelopment. This study aims to investigate the association between maternal dietary patterns and emotional and behavioral problems in 4-year-old children.

Methods

Within a cohort of 205 mother-child pairs, three maternal dietary patterns were identified: ‘Sweet and Superfluous’, ‘Fish and Vegetables’ and ‘Meat and Cereals’. Child behavior was evaluated by means of the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5), the Teacher’s Report Form 1.5-5 (TRF 1.5-5), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Multivariable analysis determined associations between maternal dietary patterns and their children’s behavior.

Results

Maternal adherence to the ‘Sweet and Superfluous’ pattern was positively associated with externalizing and depressive problems in children. The ‘Meat and Cereals’ pattern was linked to a higher risk for attention, hyperactivity and depressive problems as somatic complaints. Conversely, the ‘Fish and Vegetables’ pattern was associated with a reduced risk of hyperactivity problems. All these associations were more pronounced in girls than in boys.

Conclusions

Maternal diet during pregnancy is associated with the emotional and behavioral development of children at 4 years of age.

Impact

Previous research on prenatal dietary patterns and children’s behavior is inconclusive.

In our study, children of mothers who had higher intakes of sugar and processed foods during pregnancy were more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems at age 4, especially girls.

A high-quality diet characterized by fish and vegetable consumption during pregnancy was associated with reduced anxiety and hyperactivity problems in girls.

Our findings highlight the importance of prenatal nutrition for child neurodevelopment.