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Abstract
Deficiencies of many nutrients in pregnancy have adverse effects on fetal brain development with consequent impaired cognitive function in childhood. However, it is unclear whether deficiencies of vitamin B12 prenatally are harmful to the developing fetus. We therefore used the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to test the hypothesis that cognitive outcomes in childhood are reduced if their mothers consumed a diet low in vitamin B12 during pregnancy. A detailed exposome analysis was used to identify 9 factors independently associated with low vitamin B12 intake. These were taken into account in each of 26 outcome analyses. Results showed that the children of women with the lowest 10% intake of B12 were at increased risk of poor vocabulary at 24 months, reduced ability at combining words at 38 months, poor speech intelligibility at 6 years, poor mathematics comprehension at school years 4 and 6 (ages 8-9 and 10-11 years), and poor results on the national mathematics tests (age 13). There were no such significant adjusted associations for reading or spelling abilities, or for verbal or full-scale IQ (Intelligence Quotient) at 8 or at 15. Thus, we have confirmed that there are adverse effects on the child's development if the pregnant woman has a low intake of vitamin B12, and we have shown that these are specific to certain speech and mathematical abilities.
Highlights
There is substantial evidence to demonstrate that environmental exposures in pregnancy can have a major effect on the development of the child, on cognition, since neurodevelopment occurs rapidly during the intrauterine period [1,2]
We have confirmed that there are adverse effects on the child’s development if the pregnant woman has a low intake of vitamin B12, and we have shown that these are specific to certain speech and mathematical abilities
As in previous Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) studies using the exposome methodology [27,28], we considered the variables in groups and ascertained those variables that were associated with low vitamin B12 intake at P
Summary
There is substantial evidence to demonstrate that environmental exposures in pregnancy can have a major effect on the development of the child, on cognition, since neurodevelopment occurs rapidly during the intrauterine period [1,2]. We consider the mother’s dietary exposure to vitamin B12 (cobalamin). This water-soluble vitamin is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body. It is involved in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation through C1 metabolism and the homocysteine-methionineS-adenosylmethionine pathway [6], axon myelination of neurons, and in the metabolism of both fatty acids and amino acids. It is likely to be important in the normal functioning of the nervous system, and may have an important role in the growth and development of the fetal brain [8]
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