How does the maternal diet affect the weight of the child?

Previous evidence suggests that the mother’s diet influences the outcome of pregnancy and childbirth, but its role in the pandemic of childhood obesity has not yet been characterized. In addition, “Immediate lifestyle interventions in the pediatric population are essential, but increasing evidence suggests that 1000 days after birth (from conception to 2 years of age) is an important time to prevent childhood obesity. It has been shown, “the researchers write.

To determine the association between maternal dietary quality, potential inflammation, and outcomes of offspring obesity, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of individual participant data across five European countries. It includes seven mother-child cohort studies within the ALPHABET Consortium and represents groups in Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, and the Netherlands.

Verified food intake frequency questionnaire (FFQ) Used to assess pre-pregnancy or prenatal dietary intake of study mothers. In addition, “The diet during pregnancy was further categorized based on the evaluation period: early pregnancy (1st / 2nd trimester, n = 5 cohorts) and late pregnancy (3rd trimester, n = 3 cohorts). “

To rank the potential for maternal dietary inflammation, researchers used the Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammation Index (E-DII). It converted each mother’s dietary information into an amount per 1000 kcal intake and linked the results to a representative database in the region. Higher E-DII scores indicate more pro-inflammatory diets.

A total of 16,295 mother-child pairs were included in the analysis, with an average (SD) age of 30.2 (4.6) years and a body mass index (BMI) of 23.4 (4.2) kg / m.² At the time of delivery. Pediatric OWOB was defined as an age- and gender-specific BMI z-score> 85th percentile, but the proportion of children classified as OWOB was 8.1% to 21.6% in early childhood and 6.4% to 23.8% in mid-childhood. It was in the range of. 7% to 19.1% in early childhood.

Analysis revealed:

• The higher the E-DII score in early pregnancy, the higher the odds in late childhood tended to be (10.6). [1.2] Year) OWOB (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1-SD E-DII per increase in score 1.00-1.19)
• An inverse correlation was observed between the E-DII score in late pregnancy and early childhood (2.8). [0.3] Year) OWOB (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83-1.00)
• Higher mothers’ diet (DASH) scores during pregnancy to stop high blood pressure (higher diet quality) resulted in lower odds for OWOB in late childhood (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 1- 0.87-0.98 per increase in SD DASH score)
• The association of DASH was similar in early pregnancy (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.72-1.04) and late pregnancy (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.98).
• In two cohorts with available data, higher E-DII during pregnancy and lower DASH score resulted in lower fat-free index in later years (FFMI) Male and higher mid-childhood fat mass index (IMF)Female(P <.10)

The association between DASH score and OWOB was “strong in some sensitivity analyzes, and further adjustments to birth weight and childhood diet did not significantly change the association and conclusions.” The author writes.

They hypothesized that epigenetic patterns of maternal diet-induced changes in offspring could explain the association between a healthier maternal diet and lower offspring obesity. In a previous study, “Individuals exposed to extreme maternal malnutrition before birth showed a lasting epigenetic difference 60 years later compared to unexposed same-sex siblings.”

Researchers may have missed a window to detect a more pronounced association between mother’s diet and infant obesity, as the current study recorded early childhood obesity control at an average age of 2.8 years. Shows the limits of.

Higher BMI can also result from higher fat-free mass, which is an incomplete measure of obesity. “The difference in magnitude and rate of increase in fat and non-fat mass during different growth periods further complicates the interpretation of changes in pediatric BMI over time,” the researchers said.

The findings are also limited in that they primarily reflect European-born / white women in developed countries. Future studies should consider the effects of physical activity, gestational age, and breastfeeding duration on the association between the mother’s diet and the child’s OWOB.

“Promoting an overall healthy eating pattern during pregnancy can have lifelong consequences for offspring,” the authors conclude. “Future studies investigating intrauterine programming of pediatric steatosis may benefit from longer follow-up, as most associations were observed after mid-childhood.”

reference

Individual participant data pool analysis of the ALPHABET Consortium’s seven European cohorts: Chen LW, Aubert AM, Shivappa N, other maternal dietary qualities, potential inflammation, and childhood obesity. BMC Med. Published online on February 22, 2021. doi: 10.1186 / s12916-021-01908-7