[Impact of B vitamins in the diet of breastfeeding mother on neuropsychological development of infants aged 6 months old].

Objective: To investigate the impact of B vitamins intake in the diet of breastfeeding mother on infant neurodevelopment.

Methods: Study was conducted at Hefei Women and Children's Health Center from June 2020 to April 2021. A self-designed questionnaire was used at 42 days, 3 months, and 6 months postpartum to survey the dietary intake of breastfeeding mothers. Neurodevelopmental assessments were conducted using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition(ASQ-3) when infants were 6 months old. General linear models(GLM) were employed to analyze the effects of B-vitamin intake in maternal diet on infant neurodevelopment. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the consistency of the result.

Results: Ultimately, 233 mother-infant pairs were included in this study, of which 113(57.1%) were infants. The birth weight of the infants was(3.52±0.79) kg, and the mean maternal age at delivery was(29.2±3.8) years. No statistically significant association was found between maternal B-vitamin intake at 42 days and infant neuropsychological development(P>0.05). At 3 months, maternal vitamin B_2 intake was significantly positively correlated with the infant's total problem-solving domain score in the fully adjusted model(β=0.19, 95%CI 0.01-0.36). Vitamin B_9 intake was significantly positively correlated with the total ASQ-3 score and the problem-solving score, and the result remained significant after adjustments(β=0.24, 95%CI 0.08-0.39; β=0.18, 95%CI 0.02-0.34). Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal dietary vitamin B_9 at 6 months was significantly associated with a reduced risk of low level of neural development in overall neurodevelopment(ASQ-3 total score)(OR=0.40, 95%CI 0.21-0.75). At 3 months, maternal vitamin B_2, vitamin B_3 and vitamin B_9 intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of low level of neural development in the infant's personal-social, gross motor and personal-social domains(OR=0.14, 95%CI 0.05-0.42; OR=0.32, 95%CI 0.13-0.80; OR=0.45, 95%CI 0.24-0.86, respectively).

Conclusion: Maternal dietary intake of B-vitamins at 3 and 6 months, especially vitamin B_9, is positively correlated with infant neuropsychological development.