Nutrition’s Influence on Brain Development

I had no idea that my nutritional intake from mid-pregnancy would be so influential on the future limitations on my child’s brain and that her brain during the first two years would be so vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies. If I knew this sooner, I would have tried to become better informed about nutrition before I became pregnant! Below are some excerpts from books that I have found to be informative.

From “Whats Going On In there? How the Brain and Mind Develop During the First Five Years of Life” by Lise Eliot, PhD; October 2000; pages 48 – 49:

“Beginning around midway through gestation and continuing until about two years after birth, the brain’s growth is highly sensitive to the quantity and quality of nutrition it receives. This sensitive period coincides with the great spurt in synapse development, dendritic growth, and myelination, which together wire up the brain and also greatly increase its total weight. The quality of nutrition during this period has a profound impact on a child’s future cognitive, emotional, and neurological function.

Because this sensitive period begins before birth, it means that a mother’s diet can shape her baby’s brain development. And because it continues throughout infancy and toddlerhood, it means that special attention must be paid to a child’s diet during these first two years. Nutritional deficits can be very specific, such as insufficient iodine, iron, or vitamin B12 intake, each of which can permanently alter brain and cognitive development if it continues for any substantial portion of the sensitive period. It is more common, however, for young children to suffer from a generalized nutritional deficiency – too few calories during gestation and early life – that can permanently compromise their brain development. Insufficient nutrition threatens the brain if it occurs at any time during the sensitive period, but is more devastating the earlier in this period it occurs and the longer it lasts, and when the lack of calories is compounded by inadequate protein intake.”

In extreme cases of malnourishment, it has been found that children who were undernourished as fetuses or infants tend to score lower on IQ tests, perform more poorly in school, have slower language development, exhibit more behavioral problems, and even have difficulties with sensory integration and fine motor skills, compared with children from the same culture who were adequately nourished. The earlier the malnourishment begins (starting with midpregnancy) and the longer it lasts, the greater will be the resulting problems and the less likely they can be overcome later on. By comparison, adults who undergo even the most extreme starvation do not suffer any intellectual impairment. Thus the brain has a special sensitive period for nutrition in infancy corresponding to the phase of massive synapse growth and axon myelination, both of which require considerable metabolic energy.

From Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.:

• Mom’s good nutrition during her pregnancy, the quality of her breast milk, and the foods children eat supply the raw materials to construct their brain and ultimately supply their brainpower. Nutrition in these critical early years of life is essential for each child to reach their maximum intellectual potential. –- Disease-Proof Your Child by Dr. Joel Fuhrman; p19
• Even the mother’s diet twelve months before conception can influence the child’s future health. Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 107
• From Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 108: The real concerns are not microwave ovens, cell phones, and hair dryers. The things we know to be really risky for you and your unborn children are:
  • Caffeine
  • Nicotine, including secondhand smoke
  • Alcohol
  • Herbs and high-dose supplements, vitamin A
  • Fish, mollusks and shellfish, sushi (raw fish)
  • Raw milk and cheese
  • Soft cheeses and blue-veined cheeses such as feta, Roquefort, and Brie
  • Artificial colors, nitrates, and MSG
  • Deli meats, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and undercooked meats
• “I advise pregnant women to completely avoid seafood products; it is just too difficult to know what pollution lies within. Shellfish and mollusks are particularly risky.” — Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 109
• “The avoidance of exposure to chemicals and potential allergens is important during this sensitive stage. Food additives, pesticides, household cleaners, insecticides, and antibiotics should all be scrupulously avoided, as there is an increased sensitivity to their damaging influences in the first year of life. –Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 109
• Exposure to dairy proteins from cow’s milk has also shown long-term negative consequences when used very young in life. Delaying the feeding of all food except breast milk until six months is important, and the foods you choose to begin with at six months are important, too. — Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 109
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid. About half of the brain and eyes are made up of fat, much of which is DHA, which is an essential nutrient for optimal brain and eye function. Children’s diets today are notoriously low in the beneficial omega-3 fats found in foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, soybeans, leafy greens, and certain fish. I do not recommend fish as a preferred source of these beneficial fats for children because of contamination with pollutants and mercury…. DHA is present in breast milk, but up until 2002, the United States was the only country in the world where infant formulas were not fortified with DHA, despite a 1995 recommendation by the World Health Organization to do so. In addition, the average DHA content of breast milk in the United States has been tested to be low compared to other countries that consume more fish. In fact, postpartum depression, lower IQs, dyslexia, and ADHD have been linked by many scientific studies to the low DHA intake common in the United States. — Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; pages 43-44

From The NDD Book: How Nutrition Deficit Disorder Affects Your Childs Learning, Behavior, and Health, and What You Can Do About It -- Without Drugs by William Sears, M.D.; 2009; pages 19-21

More than any other organ, the brain is affected by what your child eats. The brain deserves the best food. The good news is that while the brain can quickly deteriorate from Nutritional Deficiency Disorder (NDD), it can also quickly rebound.

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The information contained throughout this blog / website should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician / physician.