The association between maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy and child neuropsychological development: A population-based birth cohort study

Abstract

Background & aims: Maternal ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy may adversely affect child development. Pregnancy sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (as a part of UPF) has been associated with child cognitive dysfunction in the general population, but the role of total UPF consumption during pregnancy in later child neuropsychological development has not been studied. We aimed to analyse the association between maternal pregnancy UPF consumption and child neurodevelopment.

Methods: This study involved 2377 pairs of pregnant women and their offspring from a Spanish birth cohort (recruitment period: 2004-2008, INMA project). Dietary intake was estimated using a 101-item food frequency questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy. The NOVA classification was used to identify UPFs, and their consumption was calculated as the daily percentage of total food consumption and categorized into tertiles. Child neuropsychological development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (1-year-old, n = 1929) and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (4-5 years-old, n = 1679). Potential associations were analysed using multivariate linear regression models adjusted for a range of family and child characteristics.

Results: UPF consumption among pregnant women represented an average of 17% of the total diet, with sugar-sweetened beverages being the most commonly consumed type of UPF (40%). Children born to mothers in the highest tertile of UPF consumption (28.9% or more of the total diet) vs the lowest tertile (7.2% or less), showed a lower score (B = -2.29 [95% Confidence Interval (CI), -4.13; -0.46]) in the Verbal Scale of the McCarthy Scales (p-for-trend = 0.02). No associations were observed with the McCarthy Scales assessing other cognitive domains or with the Bayley Scales.

Conclusion: Of the seven cognitive domains studied, we observed an adverse association between maternal consumption of UPF during pregnancy and verbal functioning in early childhood, which is an important cognitive domain of neurodevelopment.

Keywords: Birth cohort; Industrialized foods; Neurodevelopment; Neuropsychological development; Pregnancy; Ultra-processed food.