What a woman eats during pregnancy not only affects her own health, but also her child’s future development. In particular, the quality of carbohydrates in the diet —that is, how they affect blood sugar levels— may play a key role in children’s cognitive and motor development.
This is one of the main conclusions of two studies involving IRB CatSud, which suggest that diets with a higher impact on blood glucose levels are associated with poorer outcomes in different areas of child neurodevelopment.
Not all carbohydrates act in the same way in the body. Some cause rapid increases in blood glucose, while others do so more gradually. This difference is measured through the glycemic index and glycemic load. In general, fresh, fiber-rich foods —such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, or whole grains— have a more moderate effect, whereas more refined products tend to trigger faster responses.
In one of the studies, more than a thousand pregnant women and their children were followed during the first years of life. The results indicate that a higher intake of carbohydrates with elevated glycemic index and load during pregnancy is associated with lower scores in language and motor skills in young children.
A second study, with longer follow-up into the preschool stage, reinforces these findings. In this case, differences were observed in aspects such as processing speed, non-verbal skills, and visuomotor coordination depending on the quality of carbohydrates consumed during pregnancy.
The consistency between both studies highlights the need to pay greater attention to this factor in nutritional recommendations for pregnant women. Beyond the amount of carbohydrates, researchers emphasize the importance of prioritizing those with a gentler impact on blood glucose, with the aim of supporting optimal brain development from the earliest stages of life.
This research involved teams from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili and IRB CatSud, among other institutions, within the framework of mother–child cohort studies.
Facebook 
Mail 
WhatsApp 
