Wood Elizabeth K, Nomura Olivia, Ablow Jennifer C, Elliot Annaliese, Horgan Angela, Nigg Joel T, Gustafsson Hanna C, Sullivan Elinor L
Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
Center for Mental Health Innovation, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 11;15(1):8357. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91886-0.
The dietary glycemic index (GI) reflects post-prandial plasma glucose generation rate, with higher-GI foods rapidly increasing blood sugar. Prenatal consumption of high-GI foods is associated with offspring risk for obesity and metabolic disorders. The impact of prenatal dietary GI exposure on infant neurodevelopment remains unclear. Maternal dietary intake, percent adiposity, and insulin resistance were prospectively assessed during the second and third trimesters in a sample of women with healthy, singleton pregnancies (N = 302). Infant negative affect was prospectively assessed at six months using observer ratings (Still Face Paradigm) and caregiver-reports (Infant-Behavior Questionnaire-Revised). Structural equation models assessed the independent effects of second and third trimester maternal dietary GI, adiposity, insulin resistance on infant negative affect, adjusted for relevant covariates. Higher third, but not second, trimester dietary GI was associated with increased observer-rated infant negative affect (β = 0.14, p = .04) and with higher caregiver-reported infant sadness (β = 0.17, p = .01), suggesting a programming effect of prenatal dietary GI on infant neurodevelopment. Targeted interventions that decrease dietary GI in later pregnancy may prove more effective for optimizing infant behavioral health compared to longer-term changes needed to alter metabolic state. Identifying modifiable early contributors to infant negative affect supports proactive strategies for mitigating future psychopathology risk.
饮食血糖生成指数（GI）反映了餐后血浆葡萄糖生成速率，GI值较高的食物会使血糖迅速升高。孕期食用高GI食物与后代肥胖和代谢紊乱风险相关。孕期饮食GI暴露对婴儿神经发育的影响尚不清楚。在302例单胎健康孕妇样本中，前瞻性评估了孕中期和孕晚期的孕妇饮食摄入量、肥胖百分比和胰岛素抵抗情况。在婴儿6个月大时，前瞻性地通过观察者评分（静脸范式）和照顾者报告（修订版婴儿行为问卷）评估婴儿的消极情绪。结构方程模型评估了孕中期和孕晚期孕妇饮食GI、肥胖、胰岛素抵抗对婴儿消极情绪的独立影响，并对相关协变量进行了校正。孕晚期而非孕中期较高的饮食GI与观察者评定的婴儿消极情绪增加（β = 0.14，p = 0.04）以及照顾者报告的婴儿悲伤情绪增加（β = 0.17，p = 0.01）相关，这表明孕期饮食GI对婴儿神经发育具有编程效应。与改变代谢状态所需的长期改变相比，在妊娠后期采取针对性干预措施降低饮食GI可能对优化婴儿行为健康更有效。确定可改变的婴儿消极情绪早期影响因素，有助于制定积极策略以降低未来精神病理学风险。
