Improving Vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy among vegetarian women may support better early brain development in babies, according to a recent study.
The research, published in the journal BMJ Paediatrics Open, was carried out across two centres in India and Nepal by a collaborative team of researchers from these countries and the UK
Dr Jitender Nagpal, Deputy Medical Director at Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Delhi and the study’s lead investigator in India, said the findings highlight that enhancing Vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy in vegetarian mothers can improve early brain development in infants while significantly reducing maternal deficiency.
It also pointed out that existing evidence on whether maternal Vitamin B12 supplementation improves infant neurodevelopment has been inconsistent, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where deficiency levels are high.
Dr Nagpal emphasised that Vitamin B12 deficiency affects a large number of women in South Asia, especially in predominantly vegetarian communities with limited intake of animal-source foods.
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“Despite this high burden, Vitamin B12 remains poorly addressed in routine antenatal care, which continues to focus largely on iron and folic acid. Routine Vitamin B12 supplementation is not currently included in government antenatal guidelines or expert body recommendations in India. As a result, many women enter pregnancy with unrecognised and untreated B12 deficiency, at a time when early brain development is highly sensitive to maternal nutrition,” he said.
The study involved a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial in which vegetarian women in their first trimester were enrolled. Participants received either a higher daily dose of Vitamin B12 (250 micrograms) or a lower dose (50 micrograms) from early pregnancy until six months after childbirth.Out of 531 mother-infant pairs monitored, those in the higher-dose group showed significantly greater improvement in Vitamin B12 levels, with a reduction of over 30 per cent in biochemical deficiency compared to the lower-dose group, Dr Nagpal explained.
“Babies born to mothers receiving the higher dose scored significantly higher on early mental development assessments at 9-12 months of age, while motor development was similar between groups,” Dr Nagpal stated.
Overall, the findings suggest that optimising Vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy could be a simple, safe, and cost-effective addition to antenatal nutrition strategies, helping reduce deficiency and improve long-term developmental outcomes.
[With PTI inputs]
