Abstract
Nutrition and the home environment contribute to the development of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, no study has examined the long-term effects of prenatal and postnatal small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) and home environment on ANS regulation. We investigated the effect of early-life SQ-LNS and home environment on ANS regulation at 9–11 years. Participants were children born to women who participated in a randomized controlled trial in Ghana from 2009 to 2014. Women were randomized to receive daily, from pregnancy until delivery, either SQ-LNS, multiple micronutrients (MMN) or iron and folic acid (IFA) followed by SQ-LNS, MMN or placebo, respectively, until 6 months postpartum. Infants in the SQ-LNS group received SQ-LNS from 6 to 18 months. Quality of home environment was observed at 4–6 and 9–11 years. At 9–11 years, 965 children had their respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP) measured at baseline and during two inhibitory control tasks, the RACER Simon and Emotion Go/No-Go (EGNG) tasks. PEP reactivity to the RACER Simon task was greater in the MMN (−2.54 ± 4.45, p = 0.016) and SQ-LNS (−2.31 ± 4.94, p = 0.093) groups than in the IFA group (−1.57 ± 3.51). A better home environment at 4–6 predicted longer baseline PEP (β = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.23, p = 0.016) and more PEP reactivity during the EGNG task (β = −0.06, 95% CI: −0.00, −0.02, p = 0.001). Prenatal micronutrient supplementation appears to increase SNS reactivity. Children raised in disadvantaged early home environments had more tonic SNS activation and less SNS reactivity, suggesting a predisposition for stronger fight-or-flight activation and less likelihood to modulate arousal in response to acute situations. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00970866.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2024 |
Keywords
- autonomic nervous system
- child development
- early adolescence
- Ghana
- home environment
- lipid-based nutrient supplements
- multiple micronutrients