Nuturing Attention in the Womb

If a pregnant mother uses drugs or alcohol during pregnancy, there is a significant chance that the unborn child which she is carrying will develop problems, including drug addiction and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Obviously, what a pregnant mother ingests - or doesn't -  during pregnancy can have a profound effect on her child. But is there anything an expecting mother can do to increase the attention span of her child?

According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the answer is yes - with a catch.

The NCBI study focused on young mothers aged 14-24, who do not ingest the recommended amount of iron can see significant benefits in their children's attention span when given a regimen of appropriate iron supplements.

According to the study,"tests of short-term memory and attention span were assessed at entry and conclusion of the one-month treatment period. The experimental group showed significant improvement on the most sensitive measure of short-term memory and three subtests."

For portions of the population who are at-risk for low iron levels, it is important that the proper amount of iron be ingested during pregnancy. These tests, while not done over a broad demographic, still stress the importance of iron in the diet of a pregnant mother. This study also may help provide an explanation for adolescents who may suffer from attention disorders. One possible cause may be a lack of iron in the mother's diet during pregnancy. This is clearly not the only explanation for short attention span in children, but it is another piece to the puzzle.