ABSTRACT

The most rapid developmental changes of the human lifespan occur before birth. The fetus’ body is literally built from the nutrients provided by its mother, expanding the adage “you are what you eat” into “the fetus is what the mother eats.” In addition, pregnancy has several sensitive periods during which nutrition can promote or impede species-typical development. Because of expanded awareness of these issues, researchers have been increasingly interested in learning how mothers’ nutritional status and dietary intake of certain nutrients affect fetal development, as well as a child’s propensity for disease and disability throughout their lifespan (e.g., the fetal origins hypothesis; Barker, 1995). The purpose of this chapter is to review the current literature on prenatal nutritional supplementation, with a specific emphasis on nutrients that have been shown to impact later brain and cognitive development in the growing child.