Is dietary macronutrient composition during pregnancy associated with offspring birth weight? An observational study

Abstract

15There is lack of evidence on the differential impact of maternal macronutrient consumption: 16 carbohydrates (CHO), fats and protein on birthweight. We investigated the association between 17 maternal dietary macronutrient intakes and their sub-components such as saccharides and fatty acids 18 were interviewed in each trimester. Dietary information was collected twice using a 24 hour dietary 21 recall around 8-12 weeks and 13-27 weeks of gestation. Multiple linear regression models adjusted 22 for alcohol and smoking in trimester 1, showed that each additional 10g/day CHO consumption was 23 associated with an increase of 4g (95% CI 1g to 7g; P=0.003) in birthweight. Conversely, an 24 additional 10g/day fat intake was associated with a lower birthweight of 8g (95% CI 0g to 16g; 25 P=0.04) when we accounted for energy contributing macronutrients in each model, and maternal 26 height, weight, parity, ethnicity, gestational age at delivery and sex of the baby. There was no 27 evidence of an association between protein intake and birthweight. Maternal diet in trimester 2 28 suggested that higher intakes of glucose (10g/day) and lactose (1g/day) were both associated with 29 higher birthweight of 52g (95% CI 4g to 100g; P=0.03) and 5g (95% CI 2g to 7g; P<0.001) 30respectively. These results show that dietary macronutrient composition during pregnancy is 31 associated with birthweight outcomes. An appropriately balanced intake of dietary CHO and fat 32 during pregnancy could support optimum birthweight. 33

Associations of maternal diet with infant adiposity at birth, 6 months and 12 months

“…Although our study showed no statistically significant findings after adjustment, several previous studies have shown a link between maternal diet during pregnancy and infant anthropometric outcomes at birth, including SGA and birth weight 19 42 43. In a recent publication, Emond and colleagues reported an association between a lower maternal AHEI-2010 score during pregnancy and an increased likelihood of having an SGA infant in a predominantly White, non-Hispanic population 31.…”

“…Maternal diet during this developmental window has been shown to be an important exposure 16–18. The study of specific nutrients in relation to birth outcomes has shed light on associations between a greater maternal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy and a greater infant birth weight, and between a greater fat intake and lower infant birth weight 19. In addition, lower levels of specific nutrients, such as B vitamins, have been associated with poor offspring outcomes 20 21.…”

Impact of Dietary Macronutrient Intake during Early and Late Gestation on Offspring Body Composition at Birth, 1, 3, and 5 Years of Age

“…Our data further show that carbohydrate intake was not associated with body composition measures in both models at birth, while other studies have observed positive links [ 9 , 26 , 27 ]. One such study with 1040 women demonstrated that a non-isocaloric 100 kcal increase in maternal carbohydrate intake led to a 2.9 g increase in neonatal fat mass [ 9 ], while another showed that carbohydrate intake in late gestation led to greater total fat mass, including higher abdominal fat mass, in newborns [ 27 ].…”

“…Contrary to what might be expected, this analysis suggests that higher maternal intake of not only PUFAs, but also total fat and SFAs during late pregnancy may be associated with lower body fat in offspring, assessed using different measurement methods. While we have observed these associations in late pregnancy, a recently published paper reported a negative association between fat and PUFA intake and birth weight during the first but not in the second trimester [ 26 ].…”

“…In contrast, Moore et al observed that maternal dietary composition in early pregnancy, but not in the third trimester, was associated with offspring body composition outcomes [ 36 ]. A study from Sharma and colleagues found significant associations between dietary macronutrient intake between 8–12 weeks of gestation and offspring birth weight, but went on to describe that these associations had weakened and/or disappeared when considering maternal dietary intake in the 2nd trimester, assessed between gestational weeks 13–27 [ 26 ]. Other studies have published maternal dietary data only from one time-point during pregnancy [ 12 , 29 ] or have calculated average dietary intake values from food frequency questionnaires during pregnancy [ 9 ].…”