Impacts of Nutrition on Infants’ Brain Development

Childhood is an important period in a person’s growth and development because it is a critical stage in the establishment of a child’s mental and physical abilities. Therefore, it is important to consider a child’s optimal nutritional requirement during this period of their lives to enhance and help in their growth and development. Brain development is highly sensitive to a baby’s nutrition between mid-gestation and two years. Thus, a proper nutritional balance is during this formative period is crucial for normal brain development.

Some of the effects of poor nutrition on the development of the brain include slow language, poor school performance, lower IQ, and fine motor development.

The requirements of the brain for a particular nutrient differ throughout its development, and the impact of most nutrient shortages depends on the level and duration of the shortage. This is because a brain’s need for a specific nutrient changes continuously throughout development. Thus, an early deficit has higher chances of reducing cell production, while a later deficiency influences the cell size and complexity. A deficiency of nutrients also affects the brain’s complex chemical processes and can cause less effective communication between brain cells. 

A baby needs to have the right balance of nutrients for the healthy development of the brain. Shortage of nutrients like iodine and iron can inhibit cognitive and motor development, which are, in most cases, irreversible. Other nutrients considered critical in early brain development and functioning include folic acid, choline, and zinc. The brain size of a baby at birth depends on the quality of the mother’s nutrition during pregnancy. Expectant women should attain around 20% of their ideal pre-pregnancy weight to ensure adequate growth of the fetus. After birth, the development of the brain depends critically on the nutritional quality of the child.

BreastfeedingPractices

Breast milk contains a mixture of nutrients that promote brain growth as long as the babies receive a form of iron supplementation from the age of six months. Iron deficiency is linked to cognitive deficits in infants. Iron is vital for maintaining a sufficient amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, which are crucial in increasing brain growth. Children also require a high level of fat in their diet, which should be received from breast milk in the first year of life. This is because, in this early life, they experience a rapid rate of myelination. Breast milk contains a wide range of nutrients and hormones that are important for the development of the brain. The act of breastfeeding also has a substantial positive effect on the relationship between the mother and the infant, enhancing their interaction, which is essential for socioemotional and cognitive development.

Undernutrition in Early Age

Children who have suffered from malnutrition in their early stages of life have inadequate levels of IQ, low achievements in school, reduced cognitive function, and significant behavioral problems. It is also associated with reduced motor and cognitive development. In addition, malnourished children generally experience inadequate mental and physical growth. Their brains are smaller than average since they have reduced myelination, dendritic growth, and they produce low levels of glia. Therefore, the inadequate development of the brain explains why malnourished children suffer from behavioral and cognitive deficits.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids are vital for the membrane function, myelination, and synapse function of the baby. They are also crucial for the neurodevelopment of a fetus. Pre-term infants are susceptible to a deficiency in certain fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid. This is because fatty acids accumulate at a faster rate in the brain during the third trimester. Therefore, pre-term birth interrupts its accumulation, putting the baby at risk for deficiency.

Micronutrients

A vast population in the world has insufficient zinc and iodine intake, both of which are important for the development of the brain, and their deficiency may impair socioemotional, cognitive, and motor abilities. Iron is an essential hemoglobin component that transfers oxygen to the brain. A low production of hemoglobin caused by iron deficiency is highly likely to cause cognitive impairment. It is directly connected to the reduced motor and mental growth and later leads to poor school achievement due to poor cognition.

Iodine is vital in synthesizing thyroid hormones, which are crucial for the formation of the central nervous system, like myelination, synaptogenesis, dendrite and axon growth, neuronal migration, and neurogenesis. Pregnant women who have severe iodine deficiency produce low levels of thyroid hormones, causing the baby to experience cretinism. This disorder is characterized by facial deformities, mental retardation, severely stunted growth, and deaf mutism. Chronic iodine deficiency also affects intelligence.

B Vitamins such as niacin and thiamine helps develop and improve the functioning of the brain through various processes. For example, they have critical functions in carbohydrate metabolism that help in the brain’s energy supply. They also help in and the formation and function of the synapse and the structure and function of the membrane.