Fruit consumption in pregnancy boosts child’s brain development

The research is a follow-up to a University of Alberta (U of A) study done in 2016.

Co-lead author of the new study, Claire Scavuzzo, a post-doctoral researcher in psychology at the U of A, said though, the original CHILD Cohort Study found that fruit consumption in pregnant mothers influences infant measures of cognition up to one year after birth, the findings could not establish that fruit consumption, rather than other factors, caused the improvements on infant cognition.

However, to determine whether fruit was truly the factor influencing infant cognition, the scientists in the current study aimed to replicate the findings from the original study.

Consequently, they found that infant rats born to mothers that had their diets supplemented with fruit juice performed significantly better on tests of memory—consistent with the previous study.

“Our findings replicated what was found in humans and fruit flies. In a controlled, isolated way, we were able to confirm a role for prenatal fruit exposure on the cognitive development of newborns,” explained Scavuzzo.

“We see this as especially valuable information for pregnant mothers, as this offers a non-pharmacological, dietary intervention to boost infant brain development,” the ‘Medical Express’ reported.

Co-lead author Rachel Ward-Flanagan said, “The idea that nutrition may also impact mental health and cognition has only recently started to gain traction.

“People want to be able give their kids the best possible start in life, and from our findings, it seems that a diet enriched with fruit is a possible way to do so.”