Abstract
Using the Bayley test, the mental and psychomotor development in a cohort of 253 children were evaluated. Maternal dietary intake of vitamin B12 and folate was assessed from a semiquantitative questionnaire administered during the first trimester of pregnancy. Maternal genotypes of MTHFR (677C>T and 1298A>C), were ascertained by PCR-RFLP. The 677T and 1298C variant alleles were present in 59% and 10% of participants, respectively. A dietary deficiency of vitamin B12 was negatively associated with mental development (β = −1.6; 95% CI = −2.8 to −0.3). In contrast, dietary intake of folate (< 400 mg/day) reduced the mental development index only among children of mothers who were carriers of the TT genotype (β = −1.8; 95% CI = −3.6 to −0.04; P for interaction = 0.07). Vitamin B12 and folate supplementation during pregnancy could have a favorable impact on the mental development of children during their first year of life, mainly in populations that are genetically susceptible.
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