A pregnant woman's diet and health have significant effects on the baby she carries because her body bears sole responsibility for nourishing and forming the fetus. Accordingly, when an expecting mother experiences malnourishment, her baby also suffers. In some cases, prenatal malnutrition affects the fetus's brain development, leading to lower adult IQ. Other factors, however, play important roles in this connection.
Effects
Prenatal malnutrition, especially if severe or prolonged, can hinder fetal brain development and hence lead to lower IQ. Malnutrition severe enough to cause low birthweight has the biggest effect because birthweight directly relates to adult intelligence, states the journal "Pediatrics." On the other hand, the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood reports that one large-scale study examined 300,000 18-year-olds who had experienced a country-wide famine while in utero and found somewhat different results. That study discovered that short-term malnutrition -- lasting only during pregnancy -- has little effect on adult IQ. Prolonged childhood malnutrition has a greater effect on both brain development and learning.
How It Works
If the pregnant mother's body lacks sufficient nutrients, then the baby's brain cannot acquire the nutrients it needs to form properly. In this way, prenatal malnutrition can cause structural flaws in the baby's developing brain. Additionally, as the brain develops, neurons move throughout it to create connections; malnutrition can slow their movement, hindering those connections. If the maternal malnutrition is mild and lasts only a short amount of time -- for example, if the mother experiences morning sickness -- then the baby will usually avoid harm. A healthy mother's body contains stored nutrients, and the fetus will draw from those stored nutrients, for a while, even if the mother does not take in sufficient food.
Misconceptions
Although children who were malnourished in utero tend to have lower IQs, the prenatal malnutrition may not bear responsibility. For example, children who experience malnourishment in utero tend to come from poor families, to experience malnourishment throughout childhood, and to receive less educational and parental attention. Those factors relate more directly to lower IQ. The Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development reports that in studies that take into account those other factors, researchers find only negligible effects of prenatal malnourishment on childhood or adult IQ.
Morning Sickness
Although a mother might worry about malnutrition if morning sickness makes it difficult for her to eat, mild to moderate morning sickness does not harm the fetus. In fact, a 2009 study in the "Journal of Pediatrics" found that children whose mothers experienced nausea and vomiting during pregnancy tend to have higher IQs. On the other hand, severe and lasting morning sickness, known as hyperemesis gradivarum, or HG, can cause genuine malnutrition for both mother and child. A study conducted by the Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation found that HG significantly increases the risk of low birth weight and low IQ. If you experience extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting while pregnant, contact your doctor, and ask for help.
Warning
The term "malnutrition" has connotations of extreme poverty or serious illness; however, an average, healthy pregnant mother can accidentally or thoughtlessly become malnourished -- through dieting. Researchers have found that dieting while pregnant can lower the baby's IQ, reports HealthNews.
References
- "Pediatrics"; Birth Characteristics and Risk of Low Intellectual Performance in Early Adulthood; Niklas Bergvall et al.; March 2006
- Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development: Long-Term Effects of Prenatal and Early Postnatal Nutrition on Adult Psychosocial Outcomes
- "Bostonia"; The Hidden Costs of Malnutrition; Cynthia Buccini; Winter 2007
- "Journal of Pediatrics"; Long-Term Neurodevelopment of Children Exposed to Maternal Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy and Diclectin; Irena Nulman et al.; July 2009
- Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation: 2004 Future Research Survey
- HealthNews: Dieting During Early Pregnancy Alters Fetal Brain Development
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