Vitamin C deficient pregnant mothers could harm the brain of foetus, says a new research at the University of Copenhagen.
The study also observed that once the brain damage has occurred, it cannot be corrected by vitamin C supplements after birth.
"Even marginal vitamin C deficiency in the mother stunts the foetal hippocampus, the important memory centre, by 10-15 per cent, preventing the brain from optimal development," Professor Jens Lykkesfeldt has been quoted as saying.
The group of scientists headed by Professor Jens Lykkesfeldt reached this conclusion by studying pregnant guinea pigs and their pups. Just like humans, guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C themselves, which is why they were chosen to perform the study.
"We used to think that the mother could protect the baby. Ordinarily there is a selective transport from mother to foetus of the substances the baby needs during pregnancy. However, it now appears that the transport is not sufficient in the case of vitamin C deficiency. Therefore it is extremely important to draw attention to this problem, which potentially can have serious consequences for the children affected," Jens Lykkesfeldt said.
The new finding says a lot about mother's lifestyle and nutritional status during pregnancy. The new study also suggests that the damage done to the foetal brain cannot be corrected, even after administering baby with vitamin C after birth.
"People with low economic status who eat poorly - and perhaps also smoke - often suffer from vitamin C deficiency. Comparatively speaking, their children risk being born with a poorly developed memory potential. These children may encounter learning problems, and seen in a societal context, history repeats itself because these children find it more difficult to escape the environment into which they are born," Jens Lykkesfeldt has been quoted as saying.
He also says that pregnant women with varied diet, no smoking, and taking a multi-vitamin tablet daily during pregnancy, do not need to worry about vitamin C deficiency.
Scientific journal PLOS ONE has published the findings of this study.
-- With inputs from ANI
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