Before a baby’s first heartbeat, a mother’s diet may already be scripting their future. Research highlights the significance of maternal nutritional status before pregnancy, particularly how essential nutrients like folic acid are crucial for brain development. However, much of this research relies on self-reported food consumption data, lacking objective, quantifiable measures of nutritional biomarkers.
“Understanding the impact of maternal preconception nutrition is vital for developing risk evaluation strategies and potential nutrient interventions,” said Jian Huang, a Senior Scientist at A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), previously known as the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS).
Huang and SICS colleagues set out to explore how maternal nutrient levels before conception can influence a child's brain development and later behaviour. In collaboration with researchers from the National University of Singapore; KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore; University of Southampton, UK; and University of Newcastle, Australia; they conducted their research within the framework of the Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes (S-PRESTO).
This longitudinal study involved over 1,000 women of diverse ethnic backgrounds who planned to conceive and give birth in Singapore. A total of 475 women successfully conceived within a year, among whom 373 singleton children were born in the cohort.
The team measured the concentrations of 67 biomarkers from the women’s blood samples collected before conception, which included metabolites, micronutrients and amino acids. These were grouped into 11 clusters through computational analysis to pinpoint the key biomarkers that influence child behaviours. “This methodology provided insight into interventions that target a biological process instead of just a single biomarker,” explained Huang.
Interestingly, the study revealed a surprising finding: higher preconception levels of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, were associated with internalising problems and developmental issues such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This finding contrasts with previous studies, which typically associated vitamin B1 deficiency with adverse developmental outcomes.
Huang suggested that dietary factors such as high carbohydrate intake or caffeine consumption, both prevalent in Singapore, may interfere with vitamin B1 absorption. Such dietary patterns increase the demand for thiamine diphosphate, the active form of vitamin B1, leading to a functionally suboptimal status of thiamine. “Our findings suggest functional thiamine metabolism is associated with child developmental outcomes. In addition to nutrient intake, it is equally crucial to understand how individuals process these nutrients within their bodies and the factors that influence the absorption of specific nutrients,” said Huang.
The research also explored the role of brain microstructure just after birth in mediating these effects, though definitive causal relationships need further investigation.
The findings suggest the potential of enhancing maternal nutrition before conception through dietary guidelines to alter child behaviour and development.
Huang urged further research to validate these results and examine how specific nutrients and related biological processes affect brain development and child behaviour across different populations, stressing the need to understand genetic factors that influence nutrient absorption and metabolism.
Huang’s team is currently exploring how genetic predispositions to obesity and diabetes can affect the success of nutritional interventions for expectant mothers and their children.
The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP).
