Fish consumption during the first months of life is associated with a low risk of neurodevelopmental delays.
- Babies who ate fish at least once a week were less likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders at 18 months of age.
- Neurodevelopmental delays were associated with increased activity of two salivary microbes: Candidatus gracilibacteria and Chlorobi.
- Hispanic children were more likely to suffer from it.
Neurodevelopment is influenced by complex interactions between environmental factors, including social determinants of health, nutrition, and even the microbiome. In a recent study, researchers from Penn State College of Medicine (United States) wanted to test the hypothesis that salivary microbial activity modulates the effects of nutrition on neurological development.
Assess bacterial activity levels using saliva
For the purposes of the work, published in the journal Microorganisms, they assessed the diets of 142 infants at ages 6 and 12 months using a questionnaire made by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The team also asked parents to answer questions about young children’s well-being to determine the presence or absence of neurodevelopmental delays, which are defined as delays in developing skills such as running. , speech and social interaction, at the age of 18 months.
Next, the scientists took saliva samples from the babies at 6 months old and measured the activity levels of different bacteria using a saliva measuring device. “We chose saliva because of its ease of access during infant visits, its proximity to the developing brain, and because the mouth represents one of the first sites of microbial contact for infants exploring their physical world”, said Steven Hicks, co-author of the research, in a statement.
Brain: consuming fish during childhood prevents developmental delays
According to the results, neurodevelopmental disorders were associated with the absence of fish consumption in infants at 12 months of age. Neurodevelopmental delays were also linked to increased activity of two salivary microbes: Candidatus gracilibacteria and Chlorobi. Clearly, children who ate fish at least once a week were less likely to have neurodevelopmental delays at 18 months of age, and this protective effect was enhanced by microbial diversity.
After accounting for social determinants of health, such as maternal stress, family income, access to health care, and ethnicity, the authors found that Hispanic children were more likely to experience to neurodevelopmental problems.
“Our results suggest that microbial diversity may be important for the metabolism and assimilation of essential nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are associated with fish consumption,” the researchers concluded.
