A recent study found that individuals who give birth to babies weighing less than 5.5 pounds are at a higher risk of experiencing memory and cognitive issues later in life compared to those who have normal birth weight babies. The impact on memory and cognitive abilities was similar to aging one to two years for those with low birth weight deliveries. This study was published online on June 12, 2024.This information is from the Neurology® medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The impact on memory and cognitive abilities was comparable to aging by one to two years for those born with low birth weight. The study does not prove that having a low-birth-weight baby causes memory and thinking issues. It only indicates a connection. Previous research has demonstrated that individuals who had low-birth-weight deliveries are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, according to study author Diana C. Soria-Contreras, PhD, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.The research, conducted in Boston, Massachusetts, discovered that having a child with a low birth weight could indicate lower cognitive function later in life. The study involved 15,323 women with an average age of 62 who underwent thinking and memory tests. All the participants had given birth at least once, and 1,224 of them, or 8%, had experienced a low-birth-weight delivery, defined as less than 5.5 pounds for pregnancies lasting more than 20 weeks. The participants completed a questionnaire about their pregnancy complications, birth outcomes, birth weight, and other relevant information.
After completing a series of thinking and memory tests, the researchers combined the average scores of the two tests. These tests measured the participants’ memory, ability to quickly and accurately respond to a situation, as well as their learning and working memory. Higher scores indicated better memory and thinking. On average, the difference in scores between those with and without a low-birth-weight delivery was -0.06 for speed and attention tests and -0.05 for learning and working memory. This difference is similar to the difference associated with one to two additional years of age in this population.
Even after accounting for factors like age, smoking status, and high blood pressure that could impact both birth weight and cognitive function, the results remained consistent. This held true even when excluding individuals with premature deliveries, twin pregnancies, or pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorders.
Furthermore, the study revealed a correlation between the number of low-birth-weight deliveries and lower cognitive function scores.
Further studies are necessary to validate these findings and explore the potential benefits of screening women with a history of low-birth-weight deliveries for cognitive function.
“Improving cognitive function and implementing strategies to support brain health may reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in the future,” stated Soria-Contreras.
One drawback of the research is that the majority of the subjects were non-Hispanic Caucasians, so the findings may not apply to other demographic groups.
Funding for the study was provided by 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.
