Pregnant Mother’s Diet Linked to Child’s Brain Development

Story at a glance:

• Maternal body fat percentage during pregnancy correlates with increased risk of developmental coordination disorder in children, affecting their motor skills and coordination.
• Mothers who consumed nutrient-dense foods like fish, fruits and vegetables during pregnancy had children with better motor skills and cognitive development.
• The first trimester is a crucial period where maternal health and diet have the strongest impact on a child’s future motor and cognitive abilities.
• Children of mothers who ate a healthier diet showed better intelligence, visual-spatial skills, executive function and fewer behavioral problems.
• Recommendations for pregnant women include maintaining healthy body composition, consuming nutrient-dense whole foods, getting adequate sunlight and managing mental health.

As the saying goes, you are what you eat, and if you’re an expecting mother, this statement becomes even more important.

According to published research, what goes in your stomach will eventually influence your child’s brain development before they even take their first breath, and the effects linger until early childhood.

Maternal body fat and diet influences child motor development

A study published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN examined how a mother’s body fat percentage, dietary choices and mental health during pregnancy influence her child’s motor skills by the time they reach 5 to 6 years old.

Researchers aimed to determine whether factors such as maternal obesity, gestational weight gain and dietary choices had measurable effects on a child’s coordination, balance and fine motor control.

The study also explored whether maternal mental health played a role in shaping early motor development.

Motor impairment among children

The study followed a group of pregnant women and later assessed their children’s motor function through standardized movement tests. Their children were evaluated on their ability to perform tasks requiring balance, coordination and dexterity.

The results were clear — higher maternal body fat percentage, both early and late in pregnancy, was associated with an increased risk of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), a condition that makes everyday tasks like buttoning a shirt, writing, or running difficult. Children with DCD often struggle with handwriting, catching a ball, or tying their shoes.

These motor difficulties place them at a higher risk for obesity, social difficulties and lower self-esteem as they grow older. In contrast, mothers who consumed more nutrient-dense foods, including fish, fruits and vegetables, had children with better motor skills.

Unexpected influence of maternal depression

One of the most surprising findings of this study was that children born to mothers who experienced symptoms of depression during pregnancy showed better motor skill development. This contradicts other research showing prenatal stress causes negative developmental outcomes.

Researchers theorize that mild maternal stress activates adaptive responses in the fetus, accelerating the development of certain brain regions responsible for motor function. However, further research is needed to determine whether this advantage persists into later childhood or comes with trade-offs in other areas of development.

Gestational diabetes had no clear impact on motor development

Contrary to expectations, the study found no significant relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus and childhood motor impairment.

While diabetes during pregnancy is known to affect fetal growth and metabolic function, it did not (within the context of the study’s parameters) appear to directly impact a child’s ability to move, balance, or coordinate fine motor tasks.

This suggests that maternal obesity, rather than blood sugar regulation alone, plays a larger role in shaping early motor development.

As shown in the study, excess maternal body fat affects fetal development in several ways. The researchers theorize that chronic low-grade inflammation, which occurs when body fat levels are high, leads to increased production of inflammatory biomarkers.

These interfere with normal fetal brain and nervous system development by crossing the placenta, thus disrupting the formation of neural circuits that control movement, coordination and balance.

Other research confirms the importance of a healthy diet on child neurodevelopment

Similarly, an earlier study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated how a mother’s diet during pregnancy affects her child’s cognitive abilities and behavioral development.

Researchers followed 1,580 mother-child pairs from the Project Viva cohort and assessed the maternal diet.

Their goal was to determine whether a mother’s overall diet quality, rather than just individual nutrients, had a long-term impact on her child’s intelligence, executive function and emotional regulation.

• A healthier diet leads to smarter kids — Children born to mothers who ate a healthier diet had significantly higher intelligence scores. Intelligence was measured using a special test that assesses both verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities and the difference was measurable.
• Improved executive function — The study found that children whose mothers had a healthier diet scored better on a test that measured self-regulation, working memory and problem-solving abilities. Specifically, kids from the healthiest maternal diet group had fewer executive function problems, meaning they were better at following directions, staying organized and handling new challenges without getting overwhelmed.
• Visual and spatial skills improve — The study also tested visual-motor abilities in early childhood, which are essential for tasks like reading, writing and hand-eye coordination. Children of mothers who ate a better diet had better visual-spatial skills.
• Children had fewer behavioral problems — Not only did children with healthier prenatal diets perform better cognitively, but they also had fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties. The study found that these children had lower total scores on a test that measured emotional well-being and social interactions, meaning they exhibited fewer signs of hyperactivity, inattention and emotional distress.
• Timing matters — The study revealed that the first trimester of pregnancy is the most critical period for maternal diet’s influence on cognitive and behavioral outcomes. While diet quality during the last few months of pregnancy still played a role, children whose mothers ate a healthier diet during the first trimester showed the most significant benefits in intelligence, executive function and emotional stability.

Tying everything together, children exposed to poor maternal diets were more likely to struggle with attention regulation, hyperactivity and emotional instability — all of which make learning and social interactions more challenging.

So, just like the Clinical Nutrition ESPEN study, this research highlights the impact of a pregnant mother’s dietary choices in influencing their child’s eventual brain development.

How to support your child’s brain and motor development before birth

As shown in the published research, what you do during pregnancy directly affects your child’s ability to think, move and regulate emotions in the future.

A poor diet, high body fat percentage and nutrient deficiencies can make it harder for your baby to develop strong motor skills and cognitive abilities. The good news is that you have control over these factors. Here are my recommendations:

Maintain a healthy body composition before and during pregnancy

Excess body fat, especially during early pregnancy, has been linked to a higher risk of DCD in children. If you are planning to conceive or are already pregnant, improving your body composition by focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods will do plenty of wonders for both you and your child’s health.

Prioritize protein intake (about 0.8 grams per pound of lean body mass) to support muscle health and satiety, and incorporate daily movement like walking or bodyweight exercises to improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic function.

Last but not least, minimize your intake of processed foods, which are high in linoleic acid (LA). This ubiquitous ingredient promotes inflammation, disrupts metabolic health and causes weight gain. Nuts and seeds also contain LA, so moderate your intake of these as well.

Eat a healthy diet

The right foods fuel your baby’s growing brain, while the wrong foods impair it. Start by adding various fruits and vegetables to your diet, as these are rich in antioxidants and other nutrients that support optimal health.

In the Clinical Nutrition ESPEN study, the researchers singled out folate and iodine as vital components to support fetal brain and muscle development. These nutrients influence neural connections that control movement, allowing children to develop better coordination and balance.

Another finding the researchers noted was the effect of eating fish. Mothers who regularly ate fish during the first trimester of pregnancy had children who performed better on tests measuring hand-eye coordination and precise movements.

And as you know, fish, especially fatty fish, contain beneficial omega-3 fats, which other research has shown to be beneficial for child neurodevelopment when consumed during pregnancy.

If you’re going to add more fish into your diet, I recommend fatty fish such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon and sardines. Avoid farmed fish as these are fed a diet high in LA, thus negating the benefits of omega-3.

A final reminder — don’t overindulge on omega-3 fats, as they’re still polyunsaturated fats. This means that eating too much omega-3 will cause metabolic damage similar to eating LA.

Get sunlight and support mitochondrial energy production

Sunlight isn’t just for vitamin D — it directly affects your cellular energy production and fetal development. As noted in my article “Vitamin D and Prenatal-Newborn Health,” getting enough vitamin D is important because it helps lower the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight. For optimal vitamin D production, follow these tips:

• Spend at least 20 minutes outside daily, exposing your skin to morning and/or midday sunlight, but avoid harsh midday sun if you’re still detoxing from vegetable oils, as LA increases sunburn risk. During detoxing, which takes at least six months, get your sun exposure earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon, when the risk of sunburn is minimal.
• Measure your vitamin D level twice a year to make sure you’re within an optimal range. I recommend aiming for between 60 and 80 nanograms per milliliter (150 to 200 nanomoles per liter), which is where the greatest benefits of vitamin D appear.

If you need to be in the sun before your body has adequately cleared its store of vegetable oils, consider these protective strategies:

• Take astaxanthin to enhance your skin’s UV resistance.
• Apply topical niacinamide cream before sun exposure to protect against UV-induced DNA damage.
• Take a baby aspirin before sun exposure to help prevent LA from converting into harmful oxidized metabolites.

Manage your mental health

While the Clinical Nutrition ESPEN study mentioned that depression during pregnancy has a slight positive impact on child motor development, you don’t want this to become a chronic condition.

Throughout your pregnancy, hormonal changes, physiological changes and environmental factors can cause fluctuations in your mental health, which increases stress and impacts your health.

To preserve a positive mental outlook, I recommend you practice relaxation techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness. The Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT, are also helpful to help boost your mood or ward off unhealthy food cravings. For a more in-depth discussion on this topic, read my article “Unlocking Pregnancy Health — The Powerful Impact of Relaxation.”

Optimize your sleep

Keep your indoor environment free from blue light exposure at night to regulate melatonin production for optimal fetal brain development.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about maternal diet during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment

Q: How does a mother’s diet and body composition affect her child’s motor development?

A: A mother’s body fat percentage and diet during pregnancy play a crucial role in shaping her child’s motor skills. Research shows that higher maternal body fat, particularly in early and late pregnancy, is linked to an increased risk of DCD, making it harder for children to perform tasks requiring balance and dexterity.

In contrast, mothers who consumed nutrient-dense foods such as fish, fruits and vegetables had children with better motor functions.

Q: What are the long-term effects of maternal obesity on a child’s health?

A: Excess maternal body fat increases inflammation, which interferes with fetal brain and nervous system development. Children born to mothers with high body fat levels are more likely to struggle with coordination, leading to difficulties in writing, tying shoelaces, or playing sports. These challenges contribute to obesity, social difficulties and low self-esteem in childhood and beyond.

Q: Can maternal mental health impact a child’s motor and cognitive development?

A: Interestingly, research found that mild maternal depression during pregnancy was linked to better motor skill development in children. It’s believed that mild prenatal stress triggers adaptive responses that accelerate motor function development.

However, the long-term impact of this effect remains unclear. Chronic stress and depression, however, are still associated with negative outcomes, making mental health management essential.

Q: How does a mother’s diet during pregnancy affect a child’s brain function and behavior?

A: A high-quality maternal diet is associated with better cognitive abilities, improved executive function, and fewer behavioral problems in children. Children whose mothers followed a healthier diet had significantly higher intelligence scores, better problem-solving skills and stronger visual-spatial abilities. They also exhibited fewer signs of hyperactivity, emotional instability, and social difficulties.

Q: What steps can expecting mothers take to optimize their child’s brain and motor development?

A: To support fetal brain and motor development, I recommend that mothers maintain a healthy body composition by eating nutrient-dense foods and minimizing processed foods. Also, a moderate intake of omega-3s (from sources like wild-caught fish), folate and iodine will help support fetal development. Other strategies include optimizing vitamin D levels, managing mental health and minimizing LA intake will immensely help.

Originally published by Mercola.