Researchers analyzed data from the Japan Eco-Children's Study (JECS) and found that consumption of fermented foods during pregnancy may be beneficially associated with several areas of children's neurodevelopment.
“Fermented foods improve the gut microbiota, and the effect is mainly brought about by probiotics such as bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and streptococci. In addition, functional components produced by the fermentation process affect the gut microbiota. Colonization of the gut microbiota begins immediately after birth, and the original bacterial community is established within the first week of life. Furthermore, the formation of the gut microbiota during the neonatal period determines the development of the immune system during childhood and influences the composition of the gut microbiota throughout a child's life. Moreover, one of the most important determinants of gut bifidobacteria in infants is the colonization of Bifidobacterium breve in the mother's intestine and vagina,” the researchers wrote in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Furthermore, accumulating evidence suggests that changes in the composition of the gut microbiota play an important role in the gut-brain correlation.
“We therefore speculated that the composition of the gut microbiota may be associated not only with neurological diseases but also with children's neurodevelopment,” the researchers said.
Fermented foods play an important role in shaping the gut microbiome, and previous studies have shown that gut microbiome composition may be associated with neurodevelopment. Therefore, the researchers conducted a study of JECS data to examine the association between maternal fermented food intake during pregnancy and early neurodevelopment in offspring.
Research​
The Japan Environmental Survey is a government-funded, nationwide birth cohort study investigating the association between environmental factors and child health and development. Pregnant women who participated in the Japan Environmental Survey were recruited from 15 regions across Japan between January 2011 and March 2014.
Data from 73,522 pregnant women were studied. Intake of four common fermented foods during pregnancy was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which is a list of foods and beverages with answer categories indicating their usual frequency of consumption during the study period.
Intake of four fermented foods, miso soup, natto, yogurt, and cheese, in the average diet from early pregnancy to late pregnancy was assessed using an FFQ. The questionnaire consisted of a list of foods with standard portion sizes commonly consumed in Japan.
The intake of each food was then divided into four groups or quartiles: the first quartile contained the lowest intake, the second and third quartiles contained moderate amounts, and the fourth quartile contained the highest intake.
Neurodevelopment of participants' infants aged 10–13 months was estimated using the Japanese version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ3), which consists of 21 age-specific structured questionnaires across five domains: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, and personal social skills.
The questionnaire consists of 30 questions that can be answered with “yes,” “sometimes,” or “not yet.” “Yes,” equivalent to 10 points, indicates that the respondent's child has demonstrated the ability to perform the specific activity described in the item, “sometimes” equivalent to 5 points, indicates that the respondent's child is developing the skill, and “not yet” equivalent to 0 points, indicates that the respondent's child has not yet demonstrated evidence of the ability to perform that specific activity. Scores for each domain range from 0 to 60.
Results showed that miso soup significantly reduced the risk of delayed communication skills in the second and fourth quartiles, and natto reduced the risk in the third quartile. Natto also significantly reduced the risk of delayed fine motor development in the third and fourth quartiles, and cheese showed a protective effect in the third and fourth quartiles. Eating moderate amounts of natto during pregnancy was associated with improved problem-solving skills in the second and third quartiles, as was eating more cheese in the third and fourth quartiles. Yogurt significantly reduced the risk of delayed personal and social skills in the third and fourth quartiles, and cheese was associated with a reduced risk in the third quartile. No risk reduction was observed for gross motor skills.
“This study supports our original hypothesis by showing that maternal consumption of fermented foods during pregnancy may prevent delays in neurodevelopment in early childhood. Of the five neurodevelopmental domains assessed, effects were clearly observed in communication, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills,” the researchers wrote.
Further exploring the potential impact of fermented foods on early neurodevelopment​
The researchers noted that in the context of the gut-brain correlation, an association between gut microbiota and developmental disorders in children has been found. For example, a previous study by Nikolov et al. reported that 22.7% of children with pervasive developmental disorders had gastrointestinal problems, mainly constipation and diarrhea. Furthermore, children with gastrointestinal problems had more severe symptoms of irritability, anxiety, and social withdrawal compared to children without gastrointestinal problems. In another study, De Angelis et al. evaluated the fecal microbiota of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified and healthy children, and found higher levels of Clostridium and Bacteroides genera and lower levels of Bifidobacterium species in children with ASD compared to healthy children.
However, long-term follow-up is needed for children who were suspected of having delayed neurodevelopment in this study. Furthermore, in this study, mothers' fermented food intake did not affect their children's gross motor skills. This result may suggest that mothers' fermented food intake only affects neurodevelopment and not motor development, but the mechanism is unclear.
“In conclusion, we found an association between maternal consumption of fermented foods during pregnancy and children's early neurodevelopment, suggesting that if pregnant women consumed more fermented foods, their children might be able to avoid neurodevelopmental delays in childhood. We plan to conduct a follow-up study when the children are three years of age to further clarify this association,” the researchers said.
Source: Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition​
DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.202401_33(1).0008
Maternal fermented food intake and infant neurodevelopment: Japan Eco-Child Study (JEC)​
Author: Tomomi Tanaka, Kenta Matsumura, et al.
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