The study included 2208 mother-child pairs from a population-based birth cohort in four regions of Spain. The follow up settings were during pregnancy (first and third trimesters), birth, 1.5, 5 and 8 years. Also, several neuropsychological examinations were done through these years. Nut intake in pregnancy was reported through a validated food frequency questionnaire and the mean nut consumption among mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy was 41 g/week and the median were 17 g/week.
 
The study results observed that children of mothers who ate 2 to 3 ounces of nuts a week during pregnancy tended to score higher on tests of memory, attention and intelligence quotient (IQ). In conclusion, the study suggests that nut intake during early pregnancy is associated with long-term child neuropsychological development.
 
Gignac, F., Romaguera, D., Fernández-Barrés, S. et al. (2019). Maternal nut intake in pregnancy and child neuropsychological development up to 8 years old: a population-based cohort study in Spain. European Journal of Epidemiology, doi.org/10.1007/s10654-019-00521-6.

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