Babies born to mothers with even mild anaemia exhibit smaller brain volumes, particularly in key regions associated with movement, learning, and emotion regulation, according to a recent study. Worldwide, more than a third of pregnant women suffer from anaemia, a condition typically caused by iron deficiency where the body maintains a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells. Symptoms of the condition include dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
Mild Maternal Anaemia Linked to Smaller Infant Brain Volumes
Rates of the condition are particularly high in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. For the research, investigators from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and King’s College London in the UK followed more than 300 mother-infant pairs in Cape Town, performing repeated brain scans on the infants between three months and two years of age.
Specific Brain Regions Affected
On average, infants born to mothers with anaemia had a total brain volume 4% smaller than those born to non-anaemic mothers. This difference occurred despite all of the affected mothers being diagnosed solely with a mild version of the condition. Specific volume reductions were identified in three brain structures: the corpus callosum, the caudate nucleus, and the putamen.
All three of these brain regions are implicated in key neuropsychological functions,
said Jessica Ringshaw, the first author of the research and a researcher at the University of Cape Town and King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), highlighting executive function, emotion regulation, and processing speed.
The gap in brain volume between the two groups widened over the first two years of life. For instance, the corpus callosum was approximately 4% smaller at 12 months in the group exposed to maternal anaemia, expanding to a 6% difference by 24 months. Because the mothers and control participants were otherwise very similar across variables such as food security and household income, researchers expressed confidence that maternal anaemia directly caused the observed differences.
Long-Term Cognitive Concerns
Earlier investigations in South Africa focusing on school-age children and toddlers revealed comparable brain volume discrepancies. Researchers noted that the structural differences do not disappear as children age.
These aren’t children who are catching up, where the brain differences are disappearing over time,
Ringshaw said. They are still there when the children are six years old and going to school, and when these things might then start translating into more noticeable cognitive difficulties.
The findings provide a potential structural explanation for prior research indicating that children born to anaemic mothers scored lower on developmental tests. Steve Williams, a professor of neuroimaging at King’s, noted that the project demonstrated how novel technology can assess the impact of malnutrition on developing brains at scale within challenging environments, offering sensitive early evaluations for planned interventions and reinforcing the necessity of addressing anaemia in women of reproductive age.
Clinical Guidance and Prevention
According to health guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, iron-deficiency anaemia is common during pregnancy because the body manufactures extra blood to support fetal growth, thereby increasing the demand for iron and other vital nutrients. Routine blood tests are typically performed at different stages of pregnancy to screen for the condition, which is both preventable and treatable.
Doctors often recommend specific supplements alongside prenatal vitamins to help prevent deficiencies. Untreated or serious anaemia during pregnancy can lead to complications including preterm labor, low birthweight, increased blood loss during delivery, and developmental delays or anaemia in the newborn.
