# Mild anaemia in pregnancy leaves a mark on baby brains

> A Cape Town study scanned 300 babies and found smaller brains in those born to anaemic mothers, and the gap kept growing.
- Title: Mild anaemia in pregnancy leaves a mark on baby brains
- Summary: A Cape Town study scanned 300 babies and found smaller brains in those born to anaemic mothers, and the gap kept growing. Even mild anaemia in pregnancy is…
- Keywords: anaemia, pregnancy, brain development, global health, iron deficiency, news, world, Mild, leaves, mark, baby, brains
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/global-development/2026/sep/09/babies-born-to-anaemic-mothers-have-smaller-brains-study-finds
- Published: 2026-09-09T04:00:58+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: anaemia, pregnancy, brain development, global health, iron deficiency, news, world
## Smaller brains at one year
Babies born to anaemic mothers had total brain volume about 4% lower than babies of non-anaemic mothers. The difference showed up by the age of one.
## A third of pregnant women
More than a third of pregnant women worldwide have anaemia, usually from iron deficiency. Rates are highest in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.
## How they found it
Researchers from King's College London and the University of Cape Town followed over 300 mother-baby pairs, scanning infant brains repeatedly between three months and two years.
## Three regions hit hardest
The putamen, caudate nucleus and corpus callosum were all smaller. Those areas handle processing speed, emotion regulation and executive function.

> All three of these brain regions are implicated in key neuropsychological functions
## The gap widens, it does not close
The corpus callosum was 4% smaller at 12 months and 6% by 24 months. Earlier South African work found the same differences still present at age six.

> These aren't children who are catching up, where the brain differences are disappearing over time
## Mild was enough
Every anaemic mother in the study had only a mild diagnosis. The groups matched on household income and food security, which points to the anaemia itself as the cause.
## Screen, then treat
Researchers want routine anaemia and iron screening in pregnancy, oral or IV iron where needed, plus infection care since HIV-positive women had higher rates. WHO progress has stalled for two decades.

> Now more than ever, anaemia needs to be placed at the forefront of public health efforts
## Key takeaway

Even mild anaemia in pregnancy is linked to lasting differences in a baby's brain, so screening and iron treatment before and during pregnancy matter more than the word 'mild' suggests.