True Paleo Pregnancy Diet Aids Baby Brain Growth
New research suggests that a diet mimicking the diverse, nutrient-rich intake of hunter-gatherer ancestors may support improved fetal brain development. Additionally, studies indicate that maternal BMI and weight gain during pregnancy are linked to the long-term cardiovascular health of children.
Why it matters
These findings highlight the significant impact of maternal nutrition and health on the lifelong developmental outcomes of children.
Expectant mothers whose diet is reminiscent of that eaten by our early ancestors may aid their unborn baby’s brain growth, a trial indicates.
Ecuadorian women who ate food similar our hunter-gatherer-fisher ancestors carried fetuses that showed increased growth in subcortical brain regions, according to the study in PNAS .
“Here, we uniquely blend the disciplines of public health nutrition, neuroradiology, and agroecology to demonstrate the effects of a sustainable dietary pattern on fetal growth and development, showing impacts on brain regions that play critical roles in hemisphere connectivity, signal relaying, and other regulatory function,” the researchers reported.
A second study, in JAMA Network Open , showed that a woman’s body mass index (BMI) and the amount of weight she gained during pregnancy affected her children’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) early on.
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