There are plenty of advantages to including a wide variety of fruit in your diet, whether you are pregnant or not; however, a new study takes a closer look at the effect of consuming fruit during pregnancy, and the positives it has around infant cognition.
In fact, research conducted in 2016 linked enhanced baby cognition for women who ate more fruit while expecting. With that said, one has to wonder how strong that connection was, and a University of Alberta team set out to figure that out with their new study.
CNN advised that the research team followed up on the 2016 CHILD Cohort study, which revealed that pregnant women consuming fruit has a positive effect on infant cognition for approximately one year after they are born. While the findings from the research were incredible, the team noted that it could not establish that fruit consumption solely caused enhancements around infant cognition, without other factors involved.
In order to determine if fruit consumption was in fact the only element influencing baby cognition, the team started up a research project via a mammalian experimental model. The team noted that their findings simulated what was discovered in fruit flies and humans. In an isolated and controlled manner, they were able to confirm the parts of consuming fruit while pregnant, and the positive impacts it had within a newborn’s cognitive development. The researchers also relayed that the findings could offer valuable insight for mothers, as this does offer a way for mom’s to help boost their child’s brain development, by simply altering their diet.
Findings reveal that infant animals of moms who had fruit juice supplemented into their diet performed much better when it came to memory test, supporting the results of the previous 2016 study.
Co-lead author, Rachel Ward-Flanagan chimed in on the study stating that the results show a significant benefit around baby cognition for those moms that consume more fruit while expecting.
While it is no secret that what a mother does while she is pregnant with her child can positively (or negatively) impact her baby’s development, the concept around nutrition during pregnancy potentially enhancing an infant’s cognition and mental health is a huge concept.
Parents want to offer their children the best start in life, and with the results of these two studies, it turns out that doing so starts well before the child is even born. A mother’s diet rich in fruit, and all the vitamins and minerals they offer, will not only help with a healthy body, but a healthy mind for a child as well.
