Frontiers in Nutrition (Sep 2022)

Associations of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and fetal intrauterine development

  • Rui Qin,
  • Rui Qin,
  • Ye Ding,
  • Ye Ding,
  • Qun Lu,
  • Qun Lu,
  • Yangqian Jiang,
  • Yangqian Jiang,
  • Jiangbo Du,
  • Jiangbo Du,
  • Jiangbo Du,
  • Ci Song,
  • Ci Song,
  • Hong Lv,
  • Hong Lv,
  • Hong Lv,
  • Siyuan Lv,
  • Siyuan Lv,
  • Shiyao Tao,
  • Shiyao Tao,
  • Lei Huang,
  • Lei Huang,
  • Xin Xu,
  • Xin Xu,
  • Cong Liu,
  • Cong Liu,
  • Tao Jiang,
  • Zhixu Wang,
  • Hongxia Ma,
  • Hongxia Ma,
  • Hongxia Ma,
  • Guangfu Jin,
  • Guangfu Jin,
  • Guangfu Jin,
  • Yankai Xia,
  • Yankai Xia,
  • Zhibin Hu,
  • Zhibin Hu,
  • Zhibin Hu,
  • Feng Zhang,
  • Feng Zhang,
  • Yuan Lin,
  • Yuan Lin,
  • Yuan Lin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.985665
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Dietary pattern is excellent in reflecting an individual's eating conditions. Longitudinal data on fetal growth can reflect the process of intrauterine growth. We aimed to evaluate the associations between maternal dietary patterns and intrauterine parameters in middle and late pregnancy. The present study was conducted within Jiangsu Birth Cohort (JBC) study. Dietary information was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in the second and third trimester of gestation. B-ultrasound scans were performed to obtain fetal intrauterine parameters, including head circumference (HC), femur length (FL), abdominal circumference (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW). Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns. Multiple linear regression and linear mixed-effects model (LMM) were used to investigate the association between maternal dietary patterns and fetal growth. A total of 1,936 pregnant women were eligible for the study. We observed inverse associations of maternal “Vegetables and fish” and “Snack and less eggs” patterns during mid-pregnancy with fetal HC Z-score, respectively (“Vegetables and fish”: β = −0.09, 95% CI −0.12, −0.06; “Snack and less eggs”: β = −0.05, 95% CI −0.08, −0.02). On the contrary, “Animal internal organs, thallophyte and shellfish” pattern in the second trimester was associated with increased HC Z-scores (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.02, 0.06). Consistently, score increase in “Vegetables and fish” pattern in the third trimester was inversely associated with the Z-scores of HC (β = −0.05, 95% CI −0.09, −0.02), while “Meat and less nuts” pattern was positively correlated with the Z-scores of HC (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.02, 0.07). As compared to the fetus whose mothers at the lowest tertile of “Snack and less eggs” pattern in both trimesters, those whose mothers at the highest tertile demonstrated 1.08 fold (RR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.34–3.28) increased risk of small HC for gestational age (GA). No correlation was observed between maternal dietary patterns and other intrauterine parameters. Our results suggested the effects of maternal dietary patterns on fetal growth, particularly HC. These findings highlighted the adverse impact of unhealthy dietary pattern on fetal growth, might provide evidence for strategies to prevent intrauterine dysplasia and dietary guidelines during pregnancy.

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