Associations between prenatal (poly)phenol intake and cognitive outcomes in school-age children
- 1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center
Abstract
Background(Poly)phenol intake is associated with improved cognitive function in adults, with emerging evidence suggesting benefits in children. However, the role of prenatal (poly)phenol exposures in cognitive development remains a gap in early-life nutrition research.
ObjectiveThis analysis of a longitudinal cohort tested the associations between prenatal (poly)phenol intakes and cognitive outcomes in school-age children at age 5 and 8 years.
MethodsParticipants included mother-child pairs enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal study during pregnancy and completed 5- and 8-year follow-up visits (N = 129). 3-day food records were used to estimate prenatal and child intakes of energy and 18 (poly)phenol subclasses using a database developed from Phenol-Explorer (v3.6). The analytical sample included children (N = 111) with completed assessments for academic achievement, language skills, and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores (Mean = 100, SD = 15). Regression models estimated associations between (poly)phenol intakes and cognitive outcomes, adjusted for breastfeeding duration, maternal IQ, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational age, and infant sex.
ResultsAverage prenatal total (poly)phenol intake was 716 {+/-} 383 mg/d. Prenatal (poly)phenol intakes were not associated with child academic achievement scores. Higher prenatal flavone intakes were associated with higher language ({beta}: 4.36, p = 0.045) and IQ ({beta}: 9.43, p = 0.002) scores. Higher flavonol ({beta}: -4.67, p = 0.022) or hydroxybenzoic acid intakes ({beta}: -3.88, p = 0.026) were associated with lower language scores. Major sources of flavones and lignans included coffee, orange juice, and herbal tea. Coffee, cranberry, black tea, okra, and tomato sauce provided flavonols and hydroxybenzoic acids.
ConclusionsAssociations between prenatal (poly)phenol intake and child cognitive outcomes were mixed and differed by subclass. Further investigation is needed to explore the role of co-occurring nutrients and other dietary components. These findings suggest that (poly)phenol subclasses derived from healthier plant-based foods, including citrus fruit and herbal tea, may associate with improved child cognitive outcomes.
Clinical Trial Registry numberNCT01131117, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01131117; NCT03108001, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03108001
Related
- Associations Between Nutrient Intake and Cognitive Performance Across Multiple Domains in Healthy School-Aged Children
- Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heating-season air pollution: associations with birth outcomes in a coal-reliant city
- Patterns of Combined Prenatal Supplement Use and Associations with Birth Outcomes and Early Infant Growth: A Multicenter Prospective Mother–Infant Cohort Study in China
- Associations between behavioral intervention dose and outcomes in children and adolescents with obesity: meta-regression of randomized clinical trials
- Associations of digital media use with health, behavioural and developmental outcomes in children and adolescents: an umbrella review and meta-analysis
BibTeX
@misc{fiecke2026associations,
title = {{Associations between prenatal (poly)phenol intake and cognitive outcomes in school-age children}},
author = {C. Fiecke and J. Bellando and M. Whiteside and C. Slaton and M. Bimali and M. Bao and D. K. Williams and E. van der Plas and C. D. Kay and A. Andres},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.08.26365020},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.26365020v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Associations between prenatal (poly)phenol intake and cognitive outcomes in school-age children
AU - C. Fiecke
AU - J. Bellando
AU - M. Whiteside
AU - C. Slaton
AU - M. Bimali
AU - M. Bao
AU - D. K. Williams
AU - E. van der Plas
AU - C. D. Kay
AU - A. Andres
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.08.26365020
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.26365020v1
AB - Background(Poly)phenol intake is associated with improved cognitive function in adults, with emerging evidence suggesting benefits in children. However, the role of prenatal (poly)phenol exposures in cognitive development remains a gap in early-life nutrition research. ObjectiveThis analysis of a longitudinal cohort tested the associations between prenatal (poly)phenol intakes and cognitive outcomes in school-age children at age 5 and 8 years. MethodsParticipants included mother-child pairs enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal study during pregnancy and completed 5- and 8-year follow-up visits (N = 129). 3-day food records were used to estimate prenatal and child intakes of energy and 18 (poly)phenol subclasses using a database developed from Phenol-Explorer (v3.6). The analytical sample included children (N = 111) with completed assessments for academic achievement, language skills, and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores (Mean = 100, SD = 15). Regression models estimated associations between (poly)phenol intakes and cognitive outcomes, adjusted for breastfeeding duration, maternal IQ, pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational age, and infant sex. ResultsAverage prenatal total (poly)phenol intake was 716 {+/-} 383 mg/d. Prenatal (poly)phenol intakes were not associated with child academic achievement scores. Higher prenatal flavone intakes were associated with higher language ({beta}: 4.36, p = 0.045) and IQ ({beta}: 9.43, p = 0.002) scores. Higher flavonol ({beta}: -4.67, p = 0.022) or hydroxybenzoic acid intakes ({beta}: -3.88, p = 0.026) were associated with lower language scores. Major sources of flavones and lignans included coffee, orange juice, and herbal tea. Coffee, cranberry, black tea, okra, and tomato sauce provided flavonols and hydroxybenzoic acids. ConclusionsAssociations between prenatal (poly)phenol intake and child cognitive outcomes were mixed and differed by subclass. Further investigation is needed to explore the role of co-occurring nutrients and other dietary components. These findings suggest that (poly)phenol subclasses derived from healthier plant-based foods, including citrus fruit and herbal tea, may associate with improved child cognitive outcomes. Clinical Trial Registry numberNCT01131117, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01131117; NCT03108001, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03108001
ER -