(OR12-01-26) Prenatal Polyphenol Intake Associates With Cognitive Outcomes in School-Age Children

Sunday, July 26, 2026

2:30 PM - 2:42 PM ET

Location: Maryland Ballroom D

Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition

Presenting Author(s)

Chelsey Fiecke, PhD (she/her/hers)

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

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

Co-Author(s)

JB

Jayne Bellando

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

Mara Whiteside

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

Chayla Slaton

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

Milan Bimali

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

Miaolei Bao

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

David K. Williams, PhD

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Arkansas Children's Research Institute
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Ev

Ellen van der Plas

Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Arkansas, United States
Aline Andres, PhD, RD (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Disclosure(s):

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

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

Objectives: Polyphenol intake is associated with improved cognitive function in adults, but their role in children’s cognitive health remains a critical gap in early-life nutrition research. The objective of this study was to characterize relationships between prenatal polyphenol intake and cognitive outcomes in school-age children.

Methods: Mother-child pairs (N = 94) enrolled in a longitudinal study (NCT01131117) during pregnancy completed a follow-up visit at 8 years. 3-day food records were used to estimate prenatal intakes of 17 polyphenol subclasses using a database developed from Phenol-Explorer (v3.6). The cohort included children (N = 86) with validated measures of academics, language, and intelligence (Mean = 100, SD = 15). Elastic net regularization was used to select polyphenol subclasses of interest. Linear regression was used to assess associations between energy-adjusted prenatal polyphenol intake and cognitive outcomes, adjusted for breastfeeding duration, maternal BMI, gestational age, infant sex, and maternal IQ.

Results: Average prenatal total polyphenol intake was 707 ± 356 mg/d. Higher flavone intake (10 mg/d; mostly coffee, herbal tea, and artichoke) predicted better math scores (β: 0.885, 95% CI: 0.169-1.600, p = 0.02), verbal IQ (β: 1.109, 95% CI: 0.496-1.721, p < 0.001), and full scale IQ (β: 0.965, 95% CI: 0.362-1.568, p = 0.002) in children. Flavan-3-ol intake (132 mg/d; beans, black tea, blueberry) predicted better reading scores (β: 0.084, 95% CI: 0.008-0.160, p = 0.03). Intake of other polyphenols (16 mg/d; blackberry juice, olives, rye), which includes unclassified polyphenols, predicted better math scores (β: 0.335, 95% CI: 0.024-0.646, p = 0.04). A 5-point score increase corresponds to an increase of 10 mg flavones/d (1/2 oz artichoke), 119 mg flavan-3-ols/d (1/2 cup blueberries), or 30 mg other polyphenols/d (2 oz rye bread).

Conclusions: This study is the first to show that intake of specific polyphenol subclasses during pregnancy is positively associated with intelligence and academic scores in school-age children. Further investigation is needed to explore the role of co-occurring nutrients and phytochemicals (e.g., carotenoids, iron, vitamin C) found in polyphenol-rich foods. These findings lay the foundation to design targeted interventions to improve child cognitive health.

Funding Sources: USDA ARS #6026-10700-001-000D