Maternal Mediterranean-Style Diet During Pregnancy and Child Social Impairment as Measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale.

Researchers studied over 800 mothers and their children to see if eating a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy (lots of fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil) affected children's social skills. They found that children whose mothers ate this type of diet during pregnancy had better social skills and communication abilities. The benefits were strongest for social understanding and communication. This suggests that what mothers eat during pregnancy might help their children develop better social skills.

This prospective birth cohort study examined 821 mother-child pairs from the Boston Birth Cohort to assess whether maternal adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy was associated with children's social impairment as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The study included 52 children with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. Results showed an L-shaped association between maternal Mediterranean-style Diet Scores and child SRS scores. Children of mothers in the middle and highest diet adherence tertiles had significantly lower SRS total scores compared to the lowest tertile, indicating reduced social impairment.

Effects were particularly notable in social cognition and social communication subdomains, suggesting maternal Mediterranean diet patterns during pregnancy may support better social interaction and communication development in children.

Findings suggest maternal Mediterranean diet adherence during pregnancy may support typical social development in children. This could inform prenatal counseling about nutrition's role in neurodevelopment. However, replication in larger samples and intervention studies are needed before making specific dietary recommendations for autism prevention.

Study relied on food frequency questionnaires administered after delivery to assess prenatal diet, which may introduce recall bias. The analysis included only 52 children with ASD diagnosis within the larger cohort. Observational design cannot establish causation between maternal diet and child outcomes.

While previous studies have examined the role of individual micronutrients in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), limited evidence exists on how maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy relate to broader social and communication outcomes. This study aimed to assess the association between adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy and measures of social impairment in a racially diverse, prospective birth cohort. We analyzed 821 mother-child pairs from the Boston Birth Cohort, including 52 children with an ASD diagnosis. Maternal Mediterranean-style Diet Scores (MSDS) during pregnancy were calculated using food frequency questionnaires administered 24-72 h after delivery.

Child social impairment was assessed using Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Restricted cubic spline models were used to explore potential non-linear relationships between MSDS and SRS total scores. Linear regression models were used to quantify associations between MSDS tertiles and children's SRS total scores and scores across five SRS subdomains. An L-shape association was observed between maternal MSDS and SRS total scores.

Compared to the children of mothers in the lowest MSDS tertiles, those in the middle (beta (95% CI) = -4.95 (-9.59, -0.31)) and highest tertiles (-5.13 (-9.48, -0.79)) had significantly lower SRS total scores, indicating reduced social impairment. Associations were particularly pronounced in the social cognition and social communication subdomains. Greater maternal adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy was associated with better social interaction and communication development in children. These findings underscore the critical role of maternal nutrition in child neurodevelopment, highlighting potential targets for early risk assessment and prevention efforts.