Prenatal vitamin B12 status and cognitive functioning in children at 4 years of age

The Eclipses Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15536206
AuthorsJosué Cruz‐Rodríguez (0000-0001-7145-5836, Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Josefa Canals (0000-0002-6209-9558, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud), Carmen Hernández‐Martínez (0000-0001-6328-8679, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud), Núria Voltas (0000-0001-8855-0282, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud), Victoria Arija (0000-0002-1758-0975, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume20
Issue1
Pagese13580-e13580
Publication date2023-11-08
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13580
PMID37938197
OpenAlexW4388500441
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited60

Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with disturbed cognitive functioning in offspring at different ages during childhood. However, this association has not been explored in pre-school-age children. The objective of this study was to examine the association between maternal vitamin B12 levels at the beginning and end of pregnancy and cognitive functioning in their children at 4 years of age. This longitudinal prospective study included a subsample of pregnant women and their children aged 4 years (n = 249) who participated in the ECLIPSES Study conducted in the province of Tarragona, Spain, from 2013 to 2017. Maternal vitamin B12 concentrations were determined in the first and third trimesters, and sociodemographic, nutritional and psychological data were collected. The children's cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) and subtests of the Neuropsychological Assessment of Development (NEPSY-II). The multivariable models showed a significant relationship between vitamin B12 and the working memory index in the first trimester of the pregnancy but not in the third trimester. Children of mothers in the second vitamin B12 level tertile (314-413 pg/mL) (β = 6.468, 95% confidence interval [CI]: = 2.054, 10.882, p = 0.004) and third vitamin B12 level tertile (≥414 pg/mL) (β = 4.703, 95% CI: = 0.292, 9.114, p = 0.037) scored higher in the working memory index of the WPPSI-IV than the children of mothers with vitamin B12 levels in the first tertile (<314 pg/mL). Maintaining an adequate level of maternal vitamin B12 during early pregnancy contributes to improved performance in childhood working memory at 4 years of age

Cognition · Confidence interval · Offspring · Pregnancy · Prospective cohort study · Psychiatry · Vitamin B12 · Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale · Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children · Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence · Birth, Development, and Health · Folate and B Vitamins Research · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics

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