LIFESTYLE NEWS - A new study in Lancet Global Health offers a recipe for parents who want to raise smart kids ... and it turns out that moms’ health, happiness and educations counts.
Mothers who take multi-micronutrient (MMN) supplements during pregnancy add up to one full year of schooling to a child's cognitive abilities.
Researchers extensively tested almost 3 000 school children of mothers who had participated in an earlier study into the effects of consuming supplements during pregnancy.
They found that the children whose mothers took multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplements during pregnancy had better 'procedural memory', equivalent to the score typical after an additional half-year of schooling, than the children whose moms had only taken iron-folic acid (IFA) supplements.
Procedural memory relates to the learning of new skills and the processing of established perceptual, motor and cognitive skills. It is tied to activities such as reading, arithmetic, speaking and understanding language.
Happy moms and educated parents
Taking a good supplement during pregnancy is important, but there are more ways to ensure smart kids.
According to the research, socio-environmental factors – like happy moms and nurturing home environments - are strongly linked to children's cognitive ability.
From declarative memory, procedural memory, executive function, academic achievement and fine motor dexterity to socio-emotional health, a child's nurturing environment is strongly correlated to brain development and general intellectual ability.
In fact, researchers were surprised that biological factors, like low infant birth weight, were not as strongly linked to cognitive ability as the socio-environmental factors, like home environment and parents’ education.
