Babies born to anaemic mothers have smaller brains, study finds
Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems
TL;DR
- Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, especially in regions linked to movement, learning, and emotion regulation.
- These brain differences are detectable as early as one year old and can widen over the first two years of life.
- The study followed over 300 mothers and babies in Cape Town, using MRI scans to assess brain development.
- Maternal anaemia may lead to cognitive problems in children when they start school.
- The findings reinforce the need for anaemia screening and iron supplementation during pregnancy.
- New, portable MRI technology proved effective in detecting these subtle brain differences.