The association of a low glycaemic index diet in pregnancy with child body composition at 5 years of age: A secondary analysis of theROLOstudy

Abstract

Summary Introduction Childhood obesity remains a significant global health concern. Early intervention through maternal diet during pregnancy represents a possible mode of improving childhood adiposity. Aim To examine the impact of a low glycaemic index diet during pregnancy on offspring anthropometry at 5 years of age. Methods This is a secondary analysis of 387 children from the ROLO pregnancy study 5 years' post‐intervention. At the follow‐up, BMI, circumferences and skinfold thickness were obtained. A subgroup of 103 children had a DXA scan completed. Statistical analyses included Independent sample t tests, Mann Whitney‐U tests and chi‐square tests to compare the intervention and control groups. Adjusted analysis using linear regression controlled for significant confounders between participants who returned at follow‐up and those that did not. Results There were no significant differences in BMI (16.05 kg/m2 vs 16.16 kg/m2, P = 0.403), general adiposity (36.60 mm vs 36.00 mm, P = 0.920), central adiposity (0.61 mm vs 0.60 mm, P = 0.540), total fat mass (4.91 kg vs 4.71 kg, P = 0.377) or total lean mass (14.29 kg vs 14.56 kg, P = 0.386) between the intervention and control groups, respectively. No associations were observed in 5‐year outcomes in adjusted analyses when controlling for maternal age at delivery, maternal early pregnancy BMI, maternal education and gestational age. Conclusion Our study found no evidence that a low glycaemic index diet in pregnancy impacts offspring anthropometry 5 years' post‐intervention. Therefore, modulating maternal carbohydrate quality in pregnancy may not be an appropriate approach to improving weight status in childhood. Future research should investigate the impact of other dietary practices in pregnancy on child health.

Prenatal interventions and the development of childhood obesity

“…23,26,28,31 T A B L E 1 (Continued) Characteristics and outcomes of the follow-up studies can be found in Table 2. Several follow-up studies described outcomes of the same trial at multiple time points: two follow-up studies described outcomes of the ROLO diet intervention at 6 months and 5 years 35,36 ;…”

“…; three described outcomes of the LIMIT combined intervention at 6 months, 18 months, and 3-5 years [37][38][39] ; and two described outcomes of the UPBEAT combined intervention at 6 months and 3 years. 40,41 The follow-up studies assessed 4277 offspring of 6725 mother-infant pairs who participated in the primary trials (63.6%), which were conducted in DXA, 36,37,42,47 and QMR. 45…”

Associations between maternal metabolic parameters during pregnancy and fetal and child growth trajectories from 20 weeks' gestation to 5 years of age: Secondary analysis from the ROLO longitudinal birth cohort study

“…Fetal and child growth are influenced by multiple factors, including parental characteristics, genetics, environmental, and societal factors 39–41 . More recently, the influence of various lifestyle interventions implemented during pregnancy on childhood growth have been explored 42–44 . In this study, we aimed to perform an in‐depth exploration of the association of a number of key maternal metabolic parameters which have previously been linked to fetal and child growth by using linear spine modelling.…”

Maternal Dietary Quality and Dietary Inflammation Associations with Offspring Growth, Placental Development, and DNA Methylation

“…However, this association was no longer present after adjusting for previously mentioned confounders, particularly maternal pre-pregnancy BMI [117]. Similarly, a secondary adjusted analysis of the Irish ROLO cohort found no evidence that a low-GI diet in pregnancy impacts offspring anthropometry and body composition outcomes after 5 years' post-intervention [115]. Limited and inconsistent literature exist regarding maternal dietary scores and long-term childhood outcomes related to weight status and adiposity.…”