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Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Third Trimester Vegetable Intake May Boost Kids' Cognition
Children whose mothers consumed greater amounts of polyphenols in the last trimester of pregnancy scored significantly higher on several cognitive measures at 8 years of age than children of mothers with lower polyphenol intakes in the last trimester, according to data from a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. 'Polyphenols are nonnutritive phytochemicals present in fruits and vegetables and are linked to improved cognitive health in adults,' said presenting author Chelsey Fiecke, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, in an interview. Chelsey Fiecke, PhD Although prenatal fruit and vegetable intake has been linked to improvements in children's cognitive development, studies are needed to target critical prenatal and postnatal polyphenol exposure windows, said Fiecke. Notably, data on associations between prenatal polyphenol intake at different points during pregnancy and cognitive development in school-age children are lacking, the researchers noted. To examine these associations, Fiecke and colleagues enrolled 124 mother-child pairs at a single center. Participants were enrolled during pregnancy, and follow-up visits occurred when the children were 5 and 8 years old. Prenatal polyphenol intake was estimated on the basis of 3-day food records. Cognitive development for 62 children was based on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-II at 8 years of age. For 85 children, the researchers used the Wide Range Achievement Test 4 to assess reading, spelling, and math skills at ages 5 and 8 years. The researchers used linear mixed models for data available at both follow-up visits and generalized models when data were limited. They controlled for factors including maternal IQ, gestational age, and prenatal consumption of carotenoids, docosahexaenoic acid, choline, and vitamin A. Overall, the participants' average prenatal polyphenol intake was 815 mg/d. In the first trimester, greater maternal polyphenol intake was negatively associated with verbal IQ, perceptual reasoning IQ, and full-scale IQ ( P = .057, P = .020, and P = .011, respectively) in their children. Polyphenol intake during the second trimester was not significantly associated with any cognitive outcomes of offspring. However, during the third trimester, maternal polyphenol intake was positively associated with children's scores for reading, spelling, and verbal IQ ( P = .035, P = .052, and P = .067, respectively). Greater polyphenol intake was also associated with higher scores on the Similarities subtest (a verbal reasoning component of verbal IQ; P = .029). The suggestion of critical exposure windows for prenatal polyphenol intakes for optimal cognitive development was an especially interesting finding, Fiecke told Medscape Medical News . 'It suggests that polyphenols may have similar functionality to other nutrients that play roles in brain and cognitive development, such as docosahexaenoic,' she said. The results of the study need to be expanded to more diverse longitudinal cohorts, said Fiecke. In addition, research is needed to identify the extent of in utero transfer of polyphenols and to better understand how polyphenols might support optimal cognitive development during other critical exposure windows, such as the early postnatal period, she said. One Piece of the Food Puzzle 'It is well known that maternal nutrition during pregnancy has effects on both the mother and unborn child, with results implicating nutrition in overall neonatal health and newborn weight,' said Catherine Haut, DNP, CPNP-AC/PC, in an interview. The current study highlights one substance found in fruits and vegetables, polyphenol, which is also found in other substances consumed by pregnant women, notably coffee, tea, and chocolate, said Haut, director of Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice at Nemours Children's Health, Wilmington, Delaware Valley, who was not involved in the study. The effect of healthy nutrition in the last trimester of pregnancy on infant brain development and subsequent childhood cognition is not unexpected, Haut told Medscape Medical News . 'However, it would be of interest to follow children's nutritional intake of polyphenol over the same period with and without considering maternal intake,' she said. 'Maternal nutrition will most likely reflect what is then fed to their children,' she added. Takeaways and Research Gaps The study findings support the current daily nutrition guidelines for all age groups to include appropriate portions of fruits and vegetables, said Haut. The current study was limited by the focus on a single state and location, despite the longitudinal results, and the sample size was small relative to the number of children in the United States, she noted. Looking ahead to a future study, 'it would be helpful to include more diverse populations and to inquire about daily fruit and vegetable intake in children starting at 6 months of age for infants, when solid food is typically introduced,' Haut added.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor Rawn holds community meeting ahead of encampment sweep
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Mayor Molly Rawn hosted a community conversation on Sunday, June 8, to address homelessness and housing insecurity in Fayetteville. The event took place from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a day before a scheduled sweep of a University of Arkansas property used by dozens of unhoused people in Fayetteville. During the meeting, attendees shared ideas and expressed concerns about the city's housing challenges. Two individuals were asked to leave after tensions rose. 'My takeaway is there are a lot of people in our community who are hurting, they feel forgotten,' Rawn told KNWA/FOX24. '… That's not how I want anyone in our city to feel.' More than 30 people attended, including both unhoused and housed residents, along with members of local advocacy groups. 'There is no magic bullet to this,' Rawn said. 'If there were, then people who have been on our council and who have been elected officials much longer than I have, who are also are advocates for this cause, would have solved it.' Fayetteville's new student housing adds 800+ beds for UA Though the city does not oversee the University of Arkansas property where the encampment sweep is planned, Rawn acknowledged the need for collaboration and support. 'I absolutely believe there are actions we can take, that we have taken and that we continue to take…' Rawn said. 'I'm excited to move forward I think there some really good suggestions that came out of this group this evening.' The city has also offered to send Fayetteville Police Department social workers to assist during the sweep, according to a news release. A letter sent to people living on University of Arkansas property near 19th Street states the university will clear and clean the area on Monday, June 9. Residents were told to remove all personal belongings and necessities or risk having them discarded. Thomas Crane, 54, said he has been living 'off and on' in the 19th Street encampment area for around eight years. 'A lot of people aren't ready for it, a lot of people have nowhere to go,' Crane told KNWA/FOX24. Police calls to 19th Street encampment increase more than sevenfold in 2025 Police data from University of Arkansas and Fayetteville authorities show a sharp rise in incidents around the 19th Street unhoused encampment. Since Feb. 2024, Fayetteville Police have responded nearly 60 times to the area, with most calls in the past six months. University police reported an even steeper increase, calls for service jumped from 86 to 642 in a recent three-month period, alongside spikes in criminal charges. A recent attempted murder case also originated from the camp. A few residents of the camp area told a KNWA/FOX24 reporter they felt unsafe, especially at night. of Fayetteville's housing crisis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lane closures on Stadium Drive begin May 12, expand in June
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Drivers in Fayetteville should prepare for lane closures on Stadium Drive beginning Monday, May 12. Both lanes of Stadium Drive will be closed to traffic from the entrance of the Stadium Drive Parking Garage to Meadow Street as part of a two-phase roadwork project. According to a Facebook post from the University of Arkansas Police Department, the closure will expand on June 9, extending from the Stadium Drive Parking Garage to the roundabout at Clinton Avenue. Access to Meadow Street will remain open until the second phase of the project begins in June, according to the post. The Stadium Drive Parking Garage entrances will remain available throughout the entire construction period. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
5 National Science Foundation grants to Arkansas universities cut by DOGE
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Four National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to the University of Arkansas and 1 to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in April. The NSF is a U.S. government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all non-medical fields of science and engineering. Data from the DOGE website shows that over $1.2 million of the awarded $1.49 million (82%) had been expended the across five research projects prior to each of their terminations. The five grant recipients' initiatives span topics including freight planning, hate crime victimization, political policymaking, bodily inflammation's impact on social prejudice and promoting diversity in geosciences through a STEM conference. 12 Department of Health and Human Services grants terminated in Arkansas On April 21, NSF Director Panchanathan said the agency still supports research on broadening participation, but that this support 'should not preference some groups at the expense of others, or directly/indirectly exclude individuals or groups,' the Associated Press reported. Less than a week later, he resigned. While the NSF did not disclose to the Associated Press how many grants were cut, DOGE claimed 402 DEI-related grants worth $233 million were canceled. The Associated Press contributed to this report Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
