(AL01-02-26) Better Maternal Dietary Quality During Pregnancy Is Associated With Improved Adaptive Behavior and Cognitive Performance in Offspring Through 24 Months: The Glowing Study

Saturday, July 25, 2026

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM ET

Location: Maryland Ballroom A/C

Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Pediatric Nutrition Student Awards

Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition

Presenting Author(s)

Qi Chen, MS

PhD student
The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

Aline Andres, PhD, RD (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Chelsey Fiecke, PhD (she/her/hers)

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
AM

Audrey Martinez, R.D.N., Ph.D.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), United States
Muzi Na, PhD, MHS, FASN

Associate Professor
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States
CS

Chayla Slaton

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, United States
MW

Mara Whiteside

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas, United States

Disclosure(s):

Qi Chen, MS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Aline Andres, PhD, RD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Chelsey Fiecke, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Muzi Na, PhD, MHS, FASN: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Objectives: To investigate the association between maternal dietary quality during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes in early childhood.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 198 of 276 enrolled mother-child dyads in the Glowing study (NCT01131117). Maternal diet was assessed using 3-day food records collected at six time points between gestational weeks 10 and 36. Dietary quality was summarized using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P). Child development was assessed at 12 and 24 months via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) across cognition, language, motor, socio-emotional, and adaptive behavior domains. Multivariable linear regression estimated associations across AHEI-P quartiles (Q1 reference), adjusting sequentially for maternal age, education, pre-pregnancy BMI, energy intake, and physical activity (Model 1); infant sex, delivery mode, and gestational age (Model 2); and breastfeeding duration, complementary feeding timing, and child dietary quality (Model 3). Linear trend (p-trend) across quartiles was tested by modeling the median AHEI-P value within each quartile.

Results: Mothers had a mean age of 30.3 ± 3.5 years, were predominantly White (87.9%), and were college-educated (67.2%). The mean AHEI-P score was 64.1 ± 9.5 (0–130 scale). Mean Bayley-III scores for this cohort were within the normal range. In fully adjusted models, higher maternal AHEI-P (+22.4 AHEIP points between Q4 and Q1) was associated with better infant adaptive behavior at 12 months (Q4 vs Q1: β = 4.55; 95% CI: −0.56, 9.65; p-trend = 0.033) and higher cognitive scores at 24 months (Q4 vs Q1: β = 4.92; 95% CI: −0.22, 10.05; p-trend = 0.035). No other domains showed significant trends (all p-trend > 0.20).

Conclusions: In this prospective cohort, higher maternal dietary quality during pregnancy was associated with improved adaptive behavior at 12 months and cognition at 24 months, independent of key maternal, newborn, and postnatal dietary factors, including breastfeeding duration and child dietary quality. These findings suggest that higher overall dietary quality during pregnancy may have lasting implications for offspring neurodevelopment through the first two years of life.

Funding Sources: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences