Lutein and Zeaxanthin Intake During Pregnancy Positively Associated with Cognitive and Language Development in Children

by | May 21, 2024 | 2024, Brain Health, Cognitive Health, Infant and Children's Health, Lutein, Pregnancy and Lactation, Recent Articles, Zeaxanthin

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy was positively associated with the child’s cognitive (beta = 0.003, P= 0.001), and language development (beta = 0.002, P= 0.038).

pregnancyLutein is a carotenoid found in corn, egg yolks, and leafy greens that is utilized in the brain, retina, and cellular membrane to protect against oxidative damage1-3. Lutein is most concentrated in the human brain although it is not the most abundant carotenoid in the human diet1-3. Previous studies have shown that a lutein dosage of 5 mg per day could improve vision and cognition in adults4,5. However prenatal supplementation and its effect on cognitive function in children is still unexplored. In the current trial, researchers investigated whether maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin affected cognitive development in children at two years of age. Researchers explored the association in women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM]6.

This trial was a prospective cohort study which included English speaking women, 21 years old or older, between 25 and 33 weeks carrying a single child. Women with diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and cardiovascular conditions pre-pregnancy were excluded from this trial. Preeclampsia and infections were not a part of the exclusion criteria, however, none of the participants in this trial developed such conditions. Upon enrollment, each participant underwent an interview in which demographic and medical information was collected. Blood draw was taken from each participant following overnight fasting and researchers called the participants by phone three times to obtain three 24-hour dietary recall data. Upon delivery of the child, placenta and cord venous blood was collected. Birth outcome information was also collected through medical chart review. Researchers, then, followed up with each participant once the child reached two years old. Subsequently, evaluators conducted a food frequency questionnaire concerning the child’s diet by interviewing the mother and a psychologist conducted the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- III (Bayley III) to evaluate the child’s cognitive language, motor, adaptive, and socio-emotional development. Average daily intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin was calculated based on information from the three days of dietary recall. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)- 2015. Venous cord blood plasma samples were used to measure lutein levels. The placenta was used to measure genetic expression of lipid transport related genes, specifically, FATP1, CD36, and LPL. Plasma lipid was also assessed, since lutein is fat soluble and transported by lipoproteins and gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM] alters lipid profile by decreasing HDL levels. Researchers also collected saliva from the children at 2 years old to measure cortisol levels. Researchers wanted to see whether lutein and zeaxanthin intake affected cortisol levels in the child at 2 years old.

A total of 76 women were enrolled at the beginning of the study: 36 women without gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM] and 40 with gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM]. At delivery, 21 women with GDM provided placenta and cord blood samples while 26 women in the non-GDM group provided samples. At 2 years follow up, 18 mother-child pairs in the GDM group and 20 mother-child pairs in the non-GDM group successfully completed the food frequency interview and psychological tests. At baseline, researchers found no significant differences between the women who completed the trial compared to those who started the trial except maternal age (P= 0.027). Women in the GDM group had significantly lower concentrations of lutein in venous cord plasma compared to women in the non-GDM group (P = 0.022). No significant associations were found between maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin nor maternal plasma lutein levels and cord plasma lutein concentrations. No association was found between blood lipids in maternal or cord plasma and lutein levels and no association was found between maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin and neonatal anthropometrics. Furthermore, no significant association was found in genetic expression of CD36 and LPL within the placenta in either group. Researchers did find a positive association between FATP1 expression and cord lutein levels in the non-GDM group after stratifying by GDM status (beta = 44.2, P= 0.016). Maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy was positively associated with the child’s cognitive (beta = 0.003, P= 0.001), and language development (beta = 0.002, P= 0.038). No significant association was found in motor development. Cord blood and maternal lutein levels were also not associated with the outcome of the children’s Bayley test scores. No significant association was found between the children’s Bayley scores and the children’s intake of lutein and zeaxanthin. Also, no significant association was found between the children’s cortisol levels and maternal lutein and zeaxanthin intake.

Overall, results from this study demonstrated a positive association between maternal intake of lutein and zeaxanthin during pregnancy and cognitive and language development in children at 2 years old. Researchers also found lower lutein levels among women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Additional studies will be needed to verify these results.

Source: Kadam, Isma’il, Chauntelle Nebie, Mudar Dalloul, Joan Hittelman, Lawrence Fordjour, Lori Hoepner, Itamar D. Futterman, Howard Minkoff, and Xinyin Jiang. “Maternal Lutein Intake during Pregnancies with or without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Cognitive Development of Children at 2 Years of Age: A Prospective Observational Study.” Nutrients 16, no. 2 (2024): 328.

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
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Posted May 21, 2024.

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.

References:

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