Prenatal B-12 Supplementation Positively Associated with Cognitive Health of Children

by | Feb 25, 2025 | 2024, Cognitive Health, Infant and Children's Health, Recent Articles, Vitamin B12

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Verbal IQ scores were significantly associated with B-12 intake (Beta= 1.08, P= 0.033).

child writingVitamin B-12, which is commonly used for energy, is essential to neural development during pregnancy1,2. Furthermore, vitamin B-12 can reduce elevated homocysteine levels commonly associated with pregnancy, which is also correlated with negative cognitive effects in infants3,4. Therefore supplementation with B-12 is suggested to lower homocysteine levels in expecting mothers and thus, positively impact cognitive functioning in their offspring5,6. However, results are inconsistent7,8. In the current trial, researchers investigated the relationship between maternal B-12 and the cognitive health of children9.

Data was taken from the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood [ELSPAC]. The cohort contained 5,151 mother-baby pairs. Parents completed questionnaires on sociodemographic information and diet for themselves and their child. Parents were also asked to complete questionnaires regarding the speech and language development of their child. Questionnaires were conducted before birth, 6months, 18months, 3years, 5years, 7years, 11years, 15years, and 19years after birth. For the purpose of this analysis, researchers used data from questionnaires conducted at 18months, 3years, 5years, and 7years after birth. IQ was measured at 8years of age with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III. The sample for this analysis included 5,151 mother-baby pairs with a complete prenatal questionnaire and at minimum 1 complete post-natal questionnaire. Within this initial sample, 854 children who completed the IQ test were also included in this analysis. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the mother’s B-12 intake and the children’s speech/language development and IQ.

After fully adjusting for all covariates, researchers found that children whose mothers had a high intake of B-12 scored significantly higher on the language (Beta= 0.20, P= 0.006) as well as talking/understanding (Beta= 2.39, P< 0.001) domains of the speech and language questionnaire.  No significant association was observed between intelligibility and B-12 intake. However, verbal IQ scores were significantly associated with B-12 intake (Beta= 1.08, P= 0.033). No further associations were observed between IQ and vitamin B-12 intake.

Results from this analysis suggest that high B-12 intake during pregnancy is significantly and positively associated with child’s verbal IQ, speech, and language development.  Additional studies will be needed to verify these findings.

Source: Hrezova, Eliska, Gabriela Ksinan Jiskrova, Tomas Prusa, Lenka Andryskova, and Hynek Pikhart. “Vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy linked to child speech development and intelligence quotient.” Journal of Public Health (2024): fdae307.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Posted February 25, 2025.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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