Language processing in breastfed infants at risk of thiamine deficiency benefits from maternal thiamine supplementation

• Published in: Developmental psychology 2024-12
• Main Authors: Baldwin, Dare A, Measelle, Jeffrey, Gallivan, Lauren, Sanchirico, Anna, Weinstein, Netanel, Bala, Anaahat, Chan, Kathleen, Gallant, Jelisa, Borath, Mam, Kroeun, Hou, Wieringa, Frank T, Green, Tim J, Whitfield, Kyly C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acids; Breast Feeding; Female; Human; Infant Development; Infant Vocalization; Language Development; Male; Mother Child Communication; Vitamins
• ISSN: 0012-1649; 1939-0599; 1939-0599
• DOI: 10.1037/dev0001829

In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, we investigated relationships between infants' exposure to thiamine and their language-processing ability. Three hundred thirty-five lactating Cambodian mothers of 161 female/174 male infants received either 0, 1.2, 2.4, or 10 mg of thiamine daily, from 2 to 24 weeks postpartum. We assessed infants' language processing at 24 weeks via the infant-directed speech (IDS) task, measuring attentional enhancement to IDS versus adult-directed speech. Maternal thiamine supplementation displayed a small but statistically significant dose-response relationship to the magnitude of infants' IDS-elicited attentional enhancement (adjusted ² = 0.022, = .011). As well, only infants whose mothers received a daily thiamine supplement of 10 mg showed fully robust IDS-related attentional enhancement. These findings showcase the IDS Task for monitoring the integrity of infants' language processing and underscore the importance of adequate thiamine early in life for ensuring optimal language development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).