A recent study on Japanese children aged five was done to assess the effect of nut consumption by pregnant mothers on the likelihood of behavioral issues in the offspring.
Nuts are incredibly nutrient-dense foods full of proteins, dietary fiber, and mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are also a great source of minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as vitamins like folate, niacin, tocopherol, and vitamin B6. Numerous health advantages of these macro- and micronutrients are well established.
According to the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study (KOMCHS) conducted in Japan, there is a correlation between a mother’s intake of calcium and vitamin B6 and her child’s risk of emotional difficulties at age five.
Similarly, it has been discovered that increased maternal consumption of linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy lowers the chance of mental issues in offspring.
It has been discovered that children whose mothers took vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, and magnesium during their pregnancies were less likely to have hyperactive children. Similarly, a negative correlation has been shown between social behavioral issues in children and the folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin C intake of mothers during pregnancy.
In the current study, researchers have examined information gathered from the KOMCHS to ascertain the connection between a mother’s prenatal nut intake and her child’s potential for behavioral issues.
A multifunctional pre-birth cohort study called the KOMCHS was carried out on pregnant Japanese women from April 2007 to March 2008. The participants filled out self-administered questionnaires and participated in eight surveys.
The purpose of the questionnaires was to gather data on the sociodemographic traits of mothers, questions about pregnancy, the mother’s food preferences, the sex of the infant, the date and weight of delivery, and behavioral issues with children.
Sixteen hundred mothers reported eating nuts while pregnant. 0.8 grams of nuts were consumed daily on average by them. Peanuts, other types of nuts, and both peanuts and other types of nuts were consumed in proportions of 36.2%, 27.3%, and 36.4%, respectively.
Compared to mothers who did not consume nuts during pregnancy, those who did consume nuts during pregnancy were more likely to be older and to have consumed more citrus fruits and overall energy.
Once potential dietary and non-dietary variables were taken into account, the research showed that children of moms who had eaten nuts during pregnancy had a considerably decreased chance of peer problems. Nevertheless, no comparable correlation was identified for the remaining evaluated behavioral issues in children.
A sensitivity analysis performed on women who consumed low and high amounts of nuts during pregnancy showed that the lower incidence of peer difficulties in childhood that the study found is independent of the amount of nuts consumed during pregnancy.
