Western Ways of Eating During Pregnancy Tied to Child Neurodevelopmental Disorders
New insights into how mothers-to-be should be eating.
A Western dietary pattern (think too many heavily processed foods and too few nutrient-dense ones) during pregnancy is associated with child neurodevelopmental disorders at age 10 years, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a 2025 study published in Nature Metabolism. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analyzed self-reported maternal dietary patterns at 24 weeks of pregnancy and clinically evaluated neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring at 10 years of age. Fifteen mediating metabolites in pregnancy thought to improve ADHD prediction were identified through metabolome analyses. Associations between Western dietary pattern metabolite scores and neurodevelopmental outcomes were observed. Using this type of data it might be possible to refine pregnancy dietary recommendations to pinpoint key nutrients and dietary patterns that promote healthier outcomes in children.
References
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01230-z
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
