Relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed food during pregnancy and the baby’s brain?

 

Studies with mice have shown that a high intake of certain components present in ultra-processed foods and drinks —such as trans fats, salt and some additives— can influence brain development during pregnancy. In addition, some scientific evidence suggests that the mother’s food decisions during gestation may offer the fetus an initial exposure to the culinary tastes of the family.

This suggests that ultra-processed products, due to their high palatability and nutritional composition, could act as a relevant stimulus for the developing brain of the fetus. But what is the association between prenatal consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks and brain development?

To answer this question, the nutrition research group of the BiSC project has analyzed the consumption of ultra-processed foods by mothers during the second trimester of pregnancy. The results show that high consumption is associated with differential development of the brain areas that process taste information in infants at 30 days of age. Interestingly, this association is most marked in the left hemisphere of the brain, an area that is also involved in language processing. In fact, it has been observed that high consumption of ultra-processed products during pregnancy is also related to lower language development at 18 months of age.

It should be noted that these results do not allow us to establish a causal relationship. We cannot state that the consumption of ultra-processed products is the direct cause of these brain changes. It could also be that we are observing the mechanisms of the brain that respond to high consumption of these foods. In addition, it is still unknown whether these findings may have any implications for children’s future food preferences.

 

This news has been written by Nico Ayala, Oren Contreras and Jordi Julvez, from the nutrition research group of the BiSC project.