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Melough MM, Li M, Hamra G, Palmore M, Sauder KA, Dunlop AL, LeWinn KZ, Zhao Q, Kelly RS, Switkowski KM, Hipwell AE, Korrick SA, Collett BR, MacKenzie D, Nozadi SS, Kerver JM, Schmidt RJ, McGrath M, Sathyanarayana S. Greater Gestational Vitamin D Status is Associated with Reduced Childhood Behavioral Problems in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. J Nutr 2023; 153:1502-1511. [PMID: 37147034 PMCID: PMC10367223 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnancy. Vitamin D plays an important role in the developing brain, and deficiency may impair childhood behavioral development. OBJECTIVES This study examined the relationship between gestational 25(OH)D concentrations and childhood behavior in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. METHODS Mother-child dyads from ECHO cohorts with data available on prenatal (first trimester through delivery) or cord blood 25(OH)D and childhood behavioral outcomes were included. Behavior was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire or the Child Behavior Checklist, and data were harmonized using a crosswalk conversion. Linear mixed-effects models examined associations of 25(OH)D with total, internalizing, and externalizing problem scores while adjusting for important confounders, including age, sex, and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. The effect modification by maternal race was also assessed. RESULTS Early (1.5-5 y) and middle childhood (6-13 y) outcomes were examined in 1688 and 1480 dyads, respectively. Approximately 45% were vitamin D deficient [25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL], with Black women overrepresented in this group. In fully adjusted models, 25(OH)D concentrations in prenatal or cord blood were negatively associated with externalizing behavior T-scores in middle childhood [-0.73 (95% CI: -1.36, -0.10) per 10 ng/mL increase in gestational 25(OH)D]. We found no evidence of effect modification by race. In a sensitivity analysis restricted to those with 25(OH)D assessed in prenatal maternal samples, 25(OH)D was negatively associated with externalizing and total behavioral problems in early childhood. CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy, particularly among Black women, and revealed evidence of an association between lower gestational 25(OH)D and childhood behavioral problems. Associations were more apparent in analyses restricted to prenatal rather than cord blood samples. Interventions to correct vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy should be explored as a strategy to improve childhood behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M Melough
- Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States.
| | - Mingyi Li
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ghassan Hamra
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Meredith Palmore
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Katherine A Sauder
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Anne L Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kaja Z LeWinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Rachel S Kelly
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Karen M Switkowski
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alison E Hipwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Susan A Korrick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Brent R Collett
- Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Debra MacKenzie
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Sara S Nozadi
- Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jean M Kerver
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Monica McGrath
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Relationships between maternal body mass index and child cognitive outcomes at 3 years of age are buffered by specific early environments in a prospective Canadian birth cohort. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2023; 14:42-52. [PMID: 35481433 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174422000228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Fetal and child development are shaped by early life exposures, including maternal health states, nutrition and educational and home environments. We aimed to determine if suboptimal pre-pregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI; underweight, overweight, obese) would associate with poorer cognitive outcomes in children, and whether early life nutritional, educational and home environments modify these relationships. Self-reported data were obtained from mother-infant dyads from the pan-Canadian prospective Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals cohort. Relationships between potential risk factors (pre-pregnancy maternal BMI, breastfeeding practices and Home Observation Measurement of the Environment [HOME] score) and child cognitive development at age three (Weschler's Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Third Edition scale and its subcategories) were each evaluated using analysis of variance, multivariable regression models and moderating analyses. Amongst the 528 mother-child dyads, increasing maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was negatively associated with scores for child full-scale IQ (β [95% CI]; -2.01 [-3.43, -0.59], p = 0.006), verbal composite (-1.93 [-3.33, -0.53], p = 0.007), and information scale (-0.41 [-0.70, -0.14], p = 0.003) scores. Higher maternal education level or HOME score attenuated the negative association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and child cognitive outcome by 30%-41% and 7%-22%, respectively, and accounted for approximately 5%-10% greater variation in male children's cognitive scores compared to females. Maternal education and higher quality home environment buffer the negative effect of elevated maternal pre-pregnancy BMI on child cognitive outcomes. Findings suggest that relationships between maternal, social and environmental factors must be considered to reveal pathways that shape risk for, and resiliency against, suboptimal cognitive outcomes in early life.
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Diet in Early Life Is Related to Child Mental Health and Personality at 8 Years: Findings from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15010243. [PMID: 36615900 PMCID: PMC9823869 DOI: 10.3390/nu15010243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is rising concern about population mental health. Personality and mental health traits manifest early. Sufficient nutrition is fundamental to early development. However, little is known about early life dietary impact on later mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of exposure to a healthy and sustainable antenatal and early childhood diet with personality traits and symptoms of depression and anxiety measured at 8 years of age. This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and uses data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) including 40,566 participants. Mental health measures and personality traits were assessed at 8 years. Dietary data from pregnancy, child age 6 and 18 months and 3 and 7 years were used. With few exceptions, inverse associations were observed between healthier diet at all time points and depression and anxiety symptom scores at age 8. We found positive associations between diet scores at almost all time points and extraversion, benevolence, conscientiousness and imagination. Inverse associations were observed between diet scores and neuroticism. Combined, these findings underpin a probable impact of both maternal pregnancy diet and early childhood diet on several aspects of child mental health.
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Child Anthropometrics and Neurodevelopment at 2 and 3 Years of Age Following an Antenatal Lifestyle Intervention in Routine Care-A Secondary Analysis from the Cluster-Randomised GeliS Trial. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11061688. [PMID: 35330013 PMCID: PMC9040717 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11061688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal characteristics around pregnancy may influence obesity risk and neurodevelopment in children. To date, the effect of antenatal lifestyle interventions on long-term child development is unclear. The objective was to investigate the potential long-term effects of an antenatal lifestyle intervention programme conducted alongside routine care on child anthropometrics and neurodevelopment up to 3 years of age. Mother-child pairs from the cluster-randomised GeliS trial were followed up to 3 years of age. Data on child anthropometrics in both groups were collected from routine health examinations. Neurodevelopment was assessed via questionnaire. Of the 2286 study participants, 1644 mother-child pairs were included in the analysis. Children from the intervention group were less likely to score below the cut-off in Fine motor (p = 0.002), and more likely to have a score below the cut-off in Problem-solving (p < 0.001) compared to the control group at 3 years of age. Mean weight, height, head circumference, body mass index, and the respective z-scores and percentiles were comparable between the groups at 2 and 3 years of age. We found no evidence that the lifestyle intervention affected offspring development up to 3 years of age. Further innovative intervention approaches are required to improve child health in the long-term.
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England-Mason G, Dewey D. Strengthening research investigating maternal nutrition and children's neurodevelopment: How can we do it better? Where do we go from here? Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 114:1272-1274. [PMID: 34375383 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gillian England-Mason
- Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Unusual Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Properties in Adjuvant Therapy Supporting Cognition Impairment in Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910707. [PMID: 34639048 PMCID: PMC8509433 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive function decline is strictly related to age, resulting in the loss of the ability to perform daily behaviors and is a fundamental clinical neurodegeneration symptom. It has been proven that an adequate diet, comprehensive nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle may significantly inhibit neurodegenerative processes, improving cognitive functions. Therefore, intensive research has been conducted on cognitive-enhancing treatment for many years, especially with substances of natural origin. There are several intervention programs aimed at improving cognitive functions in elderly adults. Cognitive functions depend on body weight, food consumed daily, the quality of the intestinal microflora, and the supplements used. The effectiveness in the prevention of dementia is particularly high before the onset of the first symptoms. The impact of diet and nutrition on age-associated cognitive decline is becoming a growing field as a vital factor that may be easily modified, and the effects may be observed on an ongoing basis. The paper presents a review of the latest preclinical and clinical studies on the influence of natural antioxidants on cognitive functions, with particular emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases. Nevertheless, despite the promising research results in animal models, the clinical application of natural compounds will only be possible after solving a few challenges.
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