New Delhi: Higher vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy may support early brain development in babies, according to a new study published in BMJ Paediatrics
Open. Conducted across centres in India and Nepal by researchers working with UK collaborators, the trial examined the impact of different vitamin B12 doses in vegetarian pregnant women. Vitamin B12 deficiency remains common in communities with limited intake of animal-source foods and has been associated with delayed infant neurodevelopment and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Despite this, routine antenatal care in India continues to prioritise iron and folic acid, while vitamin B12 supplementation is not widely included in national guidelines. The new findings add to growing evidence that addressing maternal B12 deficiency during pregnancy could improve both maternal nutritional status and early cognitive outcomes in infants. Researchers observed measurable differences in mental development scores during the first year of life among babies whose mothers received higher supplementation.
Study findings on Vitamin B12 and infant brain development
Multicentre randomised controlled trial
The study was designed as a double-blind, randomised controlled trial involving vegetarian women in their first trimester. Participants received either 250 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily or a lower 50 microgram dose. Supplementation continued until six months after delivery. A total of 531 mother-infant pairs were followed up for developmental outcomes.
Improvement in maternal vitamin B12 status
According to Dr Jitender Nagpal, Deputy Medical Director at the Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research in Delhi, who led the study in India, women in the higher-dose group showed significantly greater improvement in vitamin B12 levels.
He noted that the relative reduction in biochemical deficiency exceeded 30 per cent compared with the lower-dose group, indicating a meaningful improvement in maternal nutritional status.
Impact on early mental development
Dr Nagpal said babies born to mothers who received the higher dose scored significantly higher on early mental development assessments conducted between nine and 12 months of age. Motor development scores remained similar in both groups.
Although the individual effect size was modest, he added that even small improvements in early cognitive function can carry long-term implications for learning potential and educational attainment at a population level.
Addressing widespread deficiency in South Asia
Vitamin B12 deficiency affects a large proportion of women in South Asia, particularly in predominantly vegetarian communities.
“Despite this high burden, Vitamin B12 remains poorly addressed in routine antenatal care, which continues to focus largely on iron and folic acid. Routine Vitamin B12 supplementation is not currently included in government antenatal guidelines or expert body recommendations in India. As a result, many women enter pregnancy with unrecognised and untreated B12 deficiency, at a time when early brain development is highly sensitive to maternal nutrition,” Dr Nagpal said.
The findings suggest that optimising vitamin B12 intake during pregnancy could serve as a simple and low-cost addition to antenatal nutrition strategies, with potential benefits for both maternal health and early childhood development.
With inputs from agencies
