Eur J Pediatr. 2025 Oct 30;184(11):721. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06519-5.
ABSTRACT
Emerging evidence suggests that periconceptional nutrition could significantly impact children’s brain development. Few studies have explored the effect of maternal carbohydrate intake on offspring’s cognitive outcomes. Evidence suggests poor glycemic control during pregnancy may impair neurodevelopment. Optimizing maternal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy by focusing on low to moderate glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) foods may reduce these risks. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between maternal carbohydrate intake, dietary GI, and GL during first and third trimesters of pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopment in the early postnatal period and preschool years. The study included 420 mother-child pairs from the ECLIPSES cohort. Maternal carbohydrate intake, GI, and GL were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire during the first and third trimesters. Children’s neurodevelopment was assessed at 40 days of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and at 4 years using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Maternal carbohydrate intake, GI, and GL were negatively associated with expressive language development in the early postnatal period (P < 0.05). Children of mothers in the highest GL tertile during early pregnancy showed lower motor development at 40 days (β coefficient [95% CI] = -3.517 [-6.898, -0.135], P-trend 0.041). Higher maternal carbohydrate consumption and GL throughout pregnancy were linked to lower processing speed, intelligence quotient, nonverbal skills, and visuomotor precision at preschool age (all P-trend < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The quantity and quality of maternal carbohydrate intake, particularly GL, influence children’s neurodevelopment, including language, motor skills, processing speed, nonverbal abilities, overall intellectual functions, and visuomotor precision, highlighting the need for more refined dietary recommendations during pregnancy.
WHAT IS KNOWN: • Maternal nutrition plays a critical role in shaping children”s brain health. • Poor maternal glycemic control has been linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, but the specific impact of maternal carbohydrate quantity and quality remains unclear.
WHAT IS NEW: • The quantity and quality of maternal carbohydrate intake influence children”s neurodevelopment in early life. • These findings support the need for tailored dietary recommendations during pregnancy focusing on carbohydrate quantity and quality to optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes.
PMID:41165850 | DOI:10.1007/s00431-025-06519-5
