Nutrition’s role in infant brain development at critical periods

Key Takeaways: 

• Health professionals play an important role in guiding food and dietary supplement consumption before, during, and after pregnancy – especially during critical periods when infant brain development is sensitive to the availability of nutrients. 

• It is thus essential to emphasize the consumption of foods that provide protein, DHA, iron, folate, choline, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and vitamin D during these critical developmental periods. 

• Common misconceptions about the benefits of certain foods that offer these essential nutrients, such as eggs, can lead to underconsumption of these foods. 

Hot Topics in Primary Care: Early Life Nutrition and the Developing Brain 

While all macro- and micronutrients are essential for healthy babies, “The developing brain is sensitive to the availability of nutrients during critical periods of pregnancy and infancy, after which neurodevelopmental damage is irreversible [1].”  Foods with nutrients are important for health professionals to highlight before and during pregnancy.  Misconceptions about foods such as eggs and seafood might also be vital to address.  A recent Special Supplement on Hot Topics in Primary Care article, supported by the American Egg Board, summarized the critical role of nutrition during pregnancy on infant neurodevelopment for health professionals. 

Dr. Christifano and Registered Dietitian Lara Bennett highlight several nutrients that are important for a baby’s developing brain, including protein, DHA, iron, folate, iodine, choline, zinc, vitamin B₁₂, vitamin A, and vitamin D.  Food sources of these nutrients include animal-source foods (e.g., poultry, meat, fish, eggs, seafood, dairy foods, liver) and plant-source foods (e.g., tofu, beans, fortified grains, green leafy vegetables, dark chocolate, orange/red/green vegetables).  These foods are recommended to be emphasized as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern during pregnancy, which includes a variety of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, and nuts. 

Eggs are one example of a food that contains several nutrients important for neurodevelopment.  In fact, eggs contain various amounts of all the nutrients recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the growth of a baby’s brain [2].  New data show that these nutrients are more than the sum of their individual dietary components, with potential interactions of DHA, lutein + zeaxanthin, and choline on brain development [3, 4].  “Further, maternal egg intake alone is related to markers of fetal neurodevelopment in the third trimester [1, 3].”  These data illustrate the potential value of recommending food sources of nutrients instead of dietary supplements, because of the interaction of the dietary components in the food, which could impact the bioavailability of choline and lutein, for example [5, 6]. 

Despite authoritative recommendations that eggs can be part of healthy dietary patterns [7, 8], many Americans remain confused about the cholesterol content of eggs.  Survey data indicate that forty-two percent of new and expectant parents indicate “high cholesterol” is a barrier to eating more eggs [9].  These data are particularly alarming because of the incredible nutrition package eggs offer to children [10, 11].  Health professionals can help reassure parents that the evidence shows that when eggs are eaten within a healthy dietary pattern, egg consumption does not negatively impact blood cholesterol levels [12].   

Seafood is another “…food group that is nutrient dense and recommended in pregnancy by all major health agencies, but many women still report avoiding it while pregnant [1, 13]…patient-facing information tends to emphasize the risks of mercury consumption without also mentioning the benefits of seafood.”  Survey data indicate women desire more information about healthy seafood consumption during pregnancy, which like eggs, provides essential nutrients for healthy brain development [1]. 

Overall, health professionals play an important role for guiding food and dietary supplement consumption before, during, and after pregnancy, which can help “optimize the health of the next generation [1].”  As just one egg a day contributes ~33% of the choline requirement during pregnancy, eggs can be an easy addition to healthy dietary patterns that support early life nutrition.