Prenatal Iodine Supplementation and Early Childhood Neurodevelopment
This study is being conducted by the SAHMRI Women and Kids Theme and we are working together with the following hospitals;
Why are we doing this study?
Folate is a B-group vitamin found in food that is essential for the healthy development of a baby in early pregnancy, in particular their neural tube from which the brain and spinal cord develop. The synthetic version of folate is called ‘folic acid’, and this is what is added to food or taken as a supplement. Taking folic acid supplements before becoming pregnant and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is important and has been shown to reduce neural tube defects.
Why are we interested in what babies eat and drink?
The first two years of a baby’s life set the foundation for dietary patterns later in life. Previous national nutrition surveys did not include children under two years, therefore information on their diets is limited.
In this study, we would like to find out what children under two years of age are eating and drinking. Our study also aims to find out how today’s diets and feeding practices compare to Australian dietary guidelines.
With this information, we will provide better nutrition information to parents and caregivers about nutrition in the early years.
Why do we want to know about how you feed your child?
The aim of the MILQ study is to follow mother-infant pairs over the first 12 months of life to understand how families are feeding their full-term infants, and what challenges they experience.
We hope to use this information to inform the support services at South Australian hospitals and postnatal care providers. The information collected will also help us understand the current practices for the introduction of complementary feeding.
By 1 year of age, 10% (1 in every 10) of babies will develop a food allergy. Evidence to date suggests that the ideal time to prevent food allergy may be during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but little is known about the effect of what mothers eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding on the risk of food allergies in their babies. This research is testing whether the amount of eggs and peanuts a mother eats during pregnancy and breastfeeding has an influence on her baby’s food allergy development. Study results will be used to develop national recommendations about how much egg and peanut to eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding to reduce egg and peanut allergies in babies.
Why are we interested in what babies eat?
Australian infant feeding guidelines for prevention of food allergy encourage common allergens (egg, peanut paste and wheat) to be included in babies’ diets in their first year.
We would like to know how often one year old children are eating common food allergens like egg, peanut and wheat.
As a follow up to our N3RO Trial (N-3 fatty acids for improvement in Respiratory Outcomes), which showed that giving extra omega 3 fats to babies born <29 weeks has no effect on chronic lung disease and may indeed increase risk, we are investigating what the important longer-term effects at 5-years of age of extra DHA in the first months of life for babies born 3 to 4 months prematurely by assessing the children’s mental development.
A clinical trial led by Associate Professor Carmel Collins and funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. For further information please contact Jacqueline.Gould@sahmri.com
The CRE in Targeted Nutrition to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes (NMC CRE) brings together a team of experts across Australia and New Zealand that will focus on 4 key themes based around nutritional interventions to optimise health outcomes of mothers and their children.
The SAHMRI community acknowledges and respects the traditional owners, the family clans who are the Kaurna Nation from the Adelaide Plains region of South Australia. We acknowledge the clans of the Kaurna Nation and the sacred knowledge they hold for their country. We pay our respects to the Kaurna Nation, their ancestors and the descendants of these living family clans today.
