Nutrition is important from the first months of life and although breast milk is the most complete food for a baby and it does not need anything else while it is breastfed, when it begins to take other foods it is important to know which ones are the most beneficial to promote its development. physical and mental and prevent health problems. Now, a new study has proven that including fish in the diet of babies aged six to 12 months can help prevent them from suffering delays in their neurological development.
The research was conducted by scientists at the Penn State College of Medicine who studied 142 children from birth to 18 months of age and found that eating fish at least once a week was associated with a reduced risk of delays in neurological development. Interestingly, the researchers said, the positive influence of fish consumption on neurological development was intensified by the child’s microbiome.
“While some neurodevelopmental conditions are related to genetics, emerging evidence suggests that environmental factors and social determinants of health may interact with genes to influence neurodevelopment,” said first author Terrah Keck. Kester, assistant professor of pediatrics at Penn State, who adds: “Our findings suggest that diet, particularly fish consumption, may be a factor that could influence neurodevelopmental outcomes.”
The type of diet influences neurological development
Researchers assessed the nutrition of 142 infants at six and 12 months of age using the Infant Feeding Practices Survey II, a standardized questionnaire created by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, they collected saliva samples from the babies at six months and measured the activity levels of different bacteria within the samples.
“We chose saliva because of its easy access during well-child visits, its proximity to the developing brain and because the mouth represents one of the first sites of microbial contact for babies exploring their physical world,” explained Steven Hicks, professor associate in pediatrics at Penn State and one of the authors.
Finally, they used parents’ responses to a Toddler Well-Being Survey—a tool recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics—to determine the presence or absence of neurodevelopmental delays, defined as delays in the development of skills such as running, talking, and maintaining social interactions in 18-month-old children.
They thus discovered that delays in neurological development were associated with lack of fish consumption in babies at 12 months. Neurodevelopmental delays were also linked to increased activity of two salivary microbes: Candidatus Gracilibacteria and Chlorobi.
Neurodevelopmental delays associated with lack of fish consumption in babies at 12 months
Keck-Kester explained that the team also looked at social factors that are determinants of health, such as maternal stress, family income and access to health care, as well as demographics, such as race, ethnicity and age. of family members, which could influence neurodevelopmental outcomes. The researchers found that Hispanic children were more likely to face neurodevelopmental challenges.
In fact, the researchers found that beyond these social and environmental factors, children who ate fish at least once a week were less likely to have neurodevelopmental delays at 18 months of age, and this protective effect was seen reinforced by microbial diversity.
“Our results suggest that microbial diversity may be important for the metabolism and utilization of essential nutrients, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are associated with fish consumption,” Hicks said. The findings have been published in the journal Microorganisms.
