A study published in Neurology® found that individuals who give birth to infants with a low birth weight may be more likely to experience memory and thinking problems later in life compared to those who have normal birth weight deliveries. The impact on cognitive abilities was similar to the effects of aging by one to two years for people who had low-birth-weight deliveries. However, the study does not establish a causation between low birth weight and cognitive decline, but rather identifies an association.
Conducted by Diana C. Soria-Contreras, PhD, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the study involved 15,323 female participants with an average age of 62 who completed cognitive tests. Among them, 8% had a history of low-birth-weight delivery, defined as less than 5.5 pounds for pregnancies lasting more than 20 weeks. Participants provided information on pregnancy complications, birth outcomes, and birth weight, and completed various memory and thinking tests.
The study found that individuals with a history of low-birth-weight deliveries had lower scores on both speed and attention tests, as well as learning and working memory tests. These differences in scores were comparable to the effects of aging by one to two additional years in the population. Adjustments for factors such as age, smoking status, and high blood pressure did not change the results, suggesting a strong correlation between low birth weight and cognitive decline.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that multiple low-birth-weight deliveries might exacerbate the decline in cognitive function, with a pattern of lower scores found among those who had experienced more instances of low birth weight among their infants. The researchers suggest that further investigation is needed to confirm these findings and explore potential strategies to promote brain health in individuals with a history of low-birth-weight deliveries.
One limitation of the study is the predominantly non-Hispanic white participants, which may limit the generalizability of the results to other populations. The study was supported by various institutions including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institute on Aging, and the Office of Research on Women’s Health.
Overall, the study highlights the potential long-term cognitive consequences of low-birth-weight deliveries, emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing this issue. By identifying this association between birth weight and cognitive function, researchers aim to pave the way for future interventions and strategies to promote brain health in individuals with a history of low-birth-weight deliveries, ultimately striving to prevent or delay cognitive impairment and dementia later in life.