Maternal nutrition is essential for babies’ cognitive development, but some nutrients have received less attention in scientific research. Vitamin K, mainly known for its role in blood clotting, is one example. Although it is found in leafy green vegetables and vegetable oils, and is involved in processes related to glucose metabolism, insulin, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, its possible influence on children’s neurological development had not been explored until now.
A new study led by teams from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and IRB CatSud (formerly IISPV), in collaboration with ISGlobal, provides the first evidence linking maternal intake of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) with children’s neurodevelopment.
The research was directed by Mònica Bulló, head of the Nutrition and Metabolic Health group at URV and the TecnATox research center, and by Jordi Júlvez, researcher at IRB CatSud. The results have been published in the scientific journal Pediatric Research.
The study analysed 1,080 pregnant women and their children from the BiSC cohort. To estimate vitamin K intake, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire with 114 items. Later, several areas of early childhood neurodevelopment —cognition, socioemotional and physical development, communication, and behaviour— were evaluated at different stages.
The data show that higher vitamin K intake during pregnancy is associated with better overall development in children, as well as specific improvements in cognitive abilities and physical development. The study also suggests that doubling the current vitamin K recommendations for the general population could be linked to better communication skills and expressive language. Although this is an observational study and cannot prove direct causality, the research team believes it opens new paths to deepen our understanding of the role of maternal nutrition in neurocognitive development.
“The evidence we found suggests that vitamin K may play a beneficial role, and this could lead to future dietary recommendations specifically for pregnant women, with the aim of promoting optimal cognitive development in early childhood,” explains URV professor Mònica Bulló.
Bibliographic reference:
Mateu-Fabregat, J., Panisello, L., Novau-Ferré, N. et al. Maternal dietary phylloquinone intake (vitamin K1) and early childhood neurodevelopment. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04543-7
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