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New research from Oregon Health & Science University shows that additional vitamin C intake during pregnancy can be an effective, low-cost and accessible intervention to promote infant emotional well-being.

The study, published in Developmental Psychology, found that mothers with higher levels of stress during pregnancy tend to have lower vitamin C intake, which increases their offspring's risk for mental health disorders. However, supplemental vitamin C given during pregnancy could potentially decrease this risk.

Adequate maternal nutrient intake during pregnancy is critical for fetal development, and OHSU researchers have previously linked poor nutrition during pregnancy to increased risk for certain infant behavioral health and temperament outcomes.

Now, clinicians and researchers are investigating what specific nutritional interventions could be implemented during pregnancy to offset those risks.

"A strong body of research shows that the intrauterine environment shapes cardiometabolic health. We're now learning how it also influences brain development and infant behavioral health," known as socioemotional development, said lead author Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine. "As we learn more, we're focusing on what we can do to promote healthy outcomes.

"Our top priority is the health of the pregnant woman and her baby.

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