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The Effects of Poor Nutrition on Intellectual Development

Aug 9, 2011 | By Christa Miller
The Effects of Poor Nutrition on Intellectual Development
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The choices you make for your child affect his intellectual development from the time he is in the womb. And although exposing your child to mind-nurturing activities from infancy contributes significantly to his brain development, he may not live up to his potential if his diet is lacking in important nutrients.

Weight Gain in Pregnancy

What you eat and drink can influence your baby's brain before she is born. For instance, eating too many high calorie foods and not eating enough low-calorie fruits and vegetables increases your risk of gaining too much weight during pregnancy. Too much weight gain in pregnancy a risk factor for low birth weight, low IQ and poor school achievement, according to "Parents" magazine. Adapt your diet to fit your doctor's weight gain recommendations as well as possible to reduce your baby's risk of being born too early.

Deficiencies in Pregnancy

Researchers at Harvard Medical School also found in a 2005 study that women who don't get enough omega-3 fatty acids may have babies with reduced cognitive development. In the study, 6-month-old babies weren't as likely to score high on mental development tests if their mothers ate less than two servings of fish every week during pregnancy. The effect was reversed if women ate high-mercury fish, however. Having low levels of iron during pregnancy may also reduce your baby's IQ later in life, according to "Parents" magazine. Iron is an important nutrient during pregnancy because it helps your body deliver oxygen to your growing baby. Your doctor may recommend that you take a prenatal vitamin with iron to ensure that you're giving your baby the best start possible.

Iron Deficiency in Infants and Children

Your child continues to need iron for intellectual support after she is born. Iron is critical for helping your child's body produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen to her brain and aid in rapid development. Young children with iron deficiencies are more likely to have cognitive deficits, according to the "Zero to Three" National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Most baby formula and infant cereals are iron-fortified, but breast-fed babies may need an iron supplement by about 6 months of age. Still, breast milk is said to offer the ideal mix of nutrients to support early brain development.

Fat Deficiency

Being on a fat restricted diet may impede your baby's intellectual development. He needs about 50 percent of his total calories from fat until he is about 2 years old because dietary fat supports rapid myelination in his brain in his first two years of life, according to the "Zero to Three" National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. Myelination is a fatty material that coats nerve cells and helps them transmit signals to each other. Most of the fat your baby gets should be from formula or breast milk until he is at least 1 and you can start offering him whole cow's milk after age 1.

Long-Term Implications

Children who eat a diet that is high in processed foods, sugars and unhealthy fats at age 3 are more likely to have a lower IQ when they are 8 ½ years old, according to a 2011 study in the "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health". Researchers in the study gathered eating habit information from over 7,000 children at ages 3, 4, 7 and 8 ½ by asking parents to fill out questionnaires. Conversely, children who consistently ate diets rich in salad, fruit, rice, pasta and fish at age 8 ½ had higher IQ scores. Still, researchers emphasize that the study only found a correlation between the healthy diet and higher IQ score rather than demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship.

References

Article reviewed by Libby Swope Wiersema Last updated on: Aug 9, 2011

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