Is there a relationship between maternal diet and gestational age at birth weight?

In a recent study published in nutrients Journal, researchers examined the eating habits of 667 pregnant women living in Catania, Italy.

This study used a principal component (PC) clustering approach to determine the association between maternal diet during pregnancy and infant weight.

study: Effects of maternal dietary patterns on birth weight during pregnancy: Findings from the MAMI-MED cohort. Image Credit: G-StockStudio/Shutterstock.com

Background

gestational diabetes and inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) are major threats to maternal and neonatal health.

Adverse outcomes in children include low birth weight (LBW), delivery too large or too small for gestational age (LGA and SGA), macrosomia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and preterm birth (PTB). included.

Maternal nutrition is one of the most important determinants of neonatal outcome and can be modified to improve neonatal growth and development.

However, data on the effect of maternal dietary patterns on birth weight are limited, and most previous studies examining the relationship did not consider gestational sex and infant age.

About research

In the present study, researchers evaluated the effect of maternal diet on infant birth outcomes.

The study included complete dietary, sociodemographic, and birth outcome data obtained using questionnaires, including maternal education, employment status, smoking habits, and anthropometric data from the MAMI-MED study. of mother-neonatal pairs were included. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was calculated using World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

GWG was calculated by subtracting self-recorded pre-pregnancy weight from birth weight and its adequacy was derived based on Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines. At delivery, data on gestational age, birth length, and weight were collected.

Study findings included weight versus preterm birth (PTB, spontaneous birth before 37.0 weeks) and gestational age [LGA, SGA, or appropriate gestational age (AGA)] Use a gender-based lookup table.

Dietary habits over the past 30.0 days were assessed using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Daily consumption was calculated based on portion size and frequency of consumption. In addition, total caloric consumption was derived from the United States (US) Department of Agriculture Food Intake Database, accessed January 1, 2014. and is suitable for Italian food.

Data were analyzed using a combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and clustering (mainly K-means and hierarchical clustering). Multivariate logistic regression modeling was performed and odds ratios (OR) were calculated.

result

The median age of study participants was 31.0 years. 51.0% gave birth for the first time, 25.0% were highly educated, and 51.0% found employment. He, 91.0% of the participants, had never smoked during pregnancy and had a median total caloric intake of 1,703.0 kcal. Median BMI before pregnancy was 23.0 kg/m²and 60.0% of the mothers were of normal weight.

Based on a median GWG of 12.0 kg, 39.0% of mothers reported reduced weight gain and 29.0% reported excessive weight gain. The median gestational age at infant delivery was 39.0, and most (94.0%) infant deliveries were term.

For size at birth, median height and weight at birth were 50.0 cm and 3.30 kg, respectively, and 82%, 7.0%, and 11.0% of neonates were AGA, SGA, and LGA, respectively.

Two clusters were identified representing different diets. The first cluster (158 women) ate mainly plant foods (raw and cooked vegetables, potatoes, soups, legumes, nuts, fruits, whole grain bread, rice, etc.), white meats, fish, eggs, It consisted of margarine, butter and tea. , and coffee.

The second cluster (509 women) was characterized by Western dietary patterns and junk food (salty snacks, dips, French fries, sweets), milk, white bread, olive and vegetable oils.

In terms of nutrients, group 1 women consumed more magnesium, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin C, while group 2 women consumed more unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, vitamin B1, and calcium. Did. Young, uneducated women adhered to a Western diet (second cluster).

The main estimates of birth at small gestational age were primiparous and employment status, not dietary adherence. Newborns of employed mothers had lower odds of her SGA than those of unemployed mothers (OR 0.4).

On the contrary, primiparous women had higher odds of SGA than women with a previous pregnancy of ≥1.0 (OR 2.7). Women in the second cluster had higher odds of giving birth at gestational age (LGA) than women in the first cluster (OR 2.2).

Additionally, LGA odds increased by 11.0% for each unit increase in pre-pregnancy BMI (OR 1.1). Young Italian women have lower quality diets, indicating an increase in health consciousness with age.

Education is the most important sociodemographic factor influencing diet-related decision-making, as highly educated individuals tend to have more knowledge about the risk-benefit ratio of diets.

Conclusion

Overall, the results of this study highlight a link between following a Western diet and the odds of having an LGA newborn.

After adjusting for covariates such as GWG and total calorie intake, the likelihood of LGA was higher in women adhering to a Western diet than in those adhering to a healthier plant-based diet. 2.20 times higher.

In addition, LGA odds increased with increasing BMI values. Further research should investigate the potential for confounding and mediation by type of employment, working hours, household income, and regular activity to contribute to the scientific literature and guide maternal nutrition policy decisions.