We’re all aware that fruit is a recommended part of the daily diet.  However, new research suggests that fruit may be even more important for expecting mothers by increasing the intelligence of a normal, healthy baby.

The University of Alberta study found that each additional serving of fruit the pregnant participants consumed corresponded with an increase in cognitive scores for their children a year after birth. The results from 688 children tested are preliminary and best seen as a suggestion for future studies.  However, the data is interesting because only fish has been linked to enhanced cognitive development.

After analyzing the data, Piush Mandhane, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Alberta and one of the two senior authors of the paper, was so surprised that he sought out a colleague to double check the results using fruit flies–which yielded similar results.

What’s perhaps less surprising is that half of the pregnant women surveyed did not meet the US government’s guidelines of 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit a day.  This is roughly equivalent to an apple and a large banana per day.

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