London - Pregnant women who turn to junk food to cope with depression could be damaging their children’s brain power, warn researchers.
They found a link between unhealthy eating and depression w ch can affect IQ scores in youngsters at the age of eight.
A study said a poor diet has a direct impact on the baby’s developing brain. But there is a “window of opportunity” to prevent longer- term problems.
Experts urged mothers-to-be suffering depression to seek help and eat healthier foods to offset any potential harm. The teams from King’s College London and Canada studied 6 979 mothers and their offspring. The women were assessed for symptoms of depression five times between being 18 weeks’ pregnant and their child being 33 months old.
They were asked to complete a food questionnaire when 32 weeks’ pregnant and when their child was 47 months old. The youngsters’ cognitive function was then assessed by tests when they were eight.
The researchers found women who were depressed in pregnancy were more likely to have unhealthy diets based on foods that high in unhealthy trans fats, such as chips, pies and chocolate. These factors were linked to their eight-year-olds having less good brain power than those whose mothers ate more healthily.
Even depressed women who ate healthy food - such as fish, nuts and vegetables -were more at risk of their children having lower IQ scores, it was reported online by the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The study added it was possible that depression was a sign of stress which could affect development of the brain, partly because it affects the way the body processes certain vitamins. - Daily Mail