Although it’s important to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet at any point in life, if you’re expecting a little one, this need may seem all the more pressing. After all, during this time, you have the added responsibility of looking out for your child’s development as well. As such, physicians and medical researchers are continuously investigating the effects of of certain dietary choices and nutritional supplements on prenatal health.
Earlier this year, the FASEB journal – the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology – published a study that focused on how the vitamin choline affected infants in-utero. This compound, which is produced by the liver, is also found in various meats, eggs, fish, beans, nuts and certain leafy greens like spinach.
According to the research, which was conducted by a team of obstetricians and nutrition specialists from the University of Rochester and Cornell, women who consume higher amounts of choline during pregnancy may be fortifying their children against a number of stress- and metabolism-related conditions ranging from depression and anxiety to obesity, hypertension and even Down Syndrome.
A press release from the FASEB journals states that this finding could be due to the fact that choline can affect the genetic markers that influence hormone production in little ones. Pregnant women who had greater levels of choline in their diets, according to the researchers, are actually helping their infants maintain a balanced level of cortisol, the hormone which affects metabolism function and how the body deals with stress.
Though more research needs to be done regarding prenatal nutrition and Down Syndrome, hypertension and other disorders, the researchers recommend that pregnant women incorporate choline-rich foods into their meals to support their babies’ brain health.