Food Consumption during Pregnancy and Post-Partum. ECLIPSES Study

Abstract

Inadequate maternal diet can adversely affect mother and child. Our aim was to assess adherence to the Spanish dietary guidelines and to the Mediterranean diet, to analyze changes in diet during pregnancy and post-partum, and to identify maternal factors associated with food consumption. A total of 793 healthy pregnant women were recruited during the first prenatal visit and followed until the post-partum period. Data from the clinical history, anthropometric measurements, and lifestyle habits were collected. Food consumption was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. The results show that in pregnant women the consumption of healthy foods did not meet recommendations, whereas consumption of red and processed meat and sweet food exceeded recommendations. The results also show a medium adherence to the Mediterranean diet that remained unchanged throughout pregnancy. A significant decrease was observed in the consumption of fruits, followed by vegetables and then salted and sweet cereals from pregnancy to post-partum. A better adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been reported by pregnant women that are older, of higher social class, and higher education level, and who do not smoke nor drink (p < 0.005). In conclusion, the diet of pregnant women from Spain departs from recommendations, medium adherence to the Mediterranean diet was maintained throughout the pregnancy and post-partum, and a decreasing consumption of healthy food from the first trimester to the post-partum period was observed. Maternal factors such as age, social class, education, and smoking influence diet quality.

Nutrient Intake during Pregnancy and Post-Partum: ECLIPSES Study

“…In this study, the intake of folate and iron were a long way from the RDA (with a percentage below 35% RDA) They are also at risk of insufficient vitamin D intake with an adequacy of only around 12.3%, and insufficient calcium intake (the adequacy was only 67.2%). All of this highlights the risk related to the low consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy products and poultry, fish and eggs, as was observed in our previous research [20]. Insufficient mineral and vitamin intake, especially folate, iron, vitamin D and calcium, are consistent with the findings of previous studies [19,21,[27][28][29][30].…”

“…The consumption of whole grains, legumes, vegetables and whole fruits have a protective effect on health in contrast to refined grains and free or added sugar [47]. The low intake of carbohydrate that was observed coincides with limited consumption of grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, as we reported in our previous study [20]. An increase would therefore be advisable.…”

“…About 15% smoked and consumed alcohol during pregnancy, 36.6% were categorized as being of excess weight and 92.9% were sedentary. More details on the characteristics of pregnant women can be found in the paper published on food intake from the same ECLIPSES study [20]. When the adequacy of nutritional intake was assessed according to the Institute of Medicine's recommendations, it was found that pregnant women in their first trimester had an intake below 35% of RDA for iron (27.8%), vitamin D (11.7%), folate (33.5%) and below 70% of RDA for calcium (64.1%), vitamin B1 (64.8%), B6 (67.4%), E (66.3%).…”

“…In contrast, one meta-analysis revealed a calcium intake above the RDA [9], probably due to differences in dietary patterns from country to country. The consumption of dairy products, the best sources of dietary calcium, has been found to be quite low in pregnant women [20,22]. This deficiency in calcium intake increases the risk of preeclampsia, affects bone health, muscle contraction and child health outcomes [50].…”

“…Consequently, a high-quality diet, such as the healthy eating pattern of the Mediterranean diet, is internationally recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women along with an increased caloric and specific nutrient intake, depending on the pregnancy trimester [1]. Nevertheless, several studies on a national or international scale have shown that, in general, pregnant women do not follow the recommended healthy diet [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26], which could contribute to a suboptimal intake of key nutrients essential to the health of the mother and child. Indeed, some research in developed countries has found that a high percentage of pregnant women have a below-recommended intake of iron, calcium, vitamin D, and folates [19,21,[27][28][29][30].…”