Our findings illustrated positive associations between intrauterine exposure to ASBs and birth size and risk of overweight/obesity at 7 years. Data with longer follow-up are warranted.

To identify novel modifiable risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) by examining the association between prepregnancy habitual folate intake and GDM risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study included 14,553 women in the Nurses' Health Study II who reported at least one singleton pregnancy between the 1991 and 2001 questionnaires. Prepregnancy intakes of total folate, supplemental folate, and food folate were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire administered every 4 years. Incident GDM was ascertained from a self-reported physician diagnosis. Relative risks (RRs) of GDM were estimated using log-binomial models, with adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors. RESULTS Over the study follow-up, 824 incident GDM cases were reported among 20,199 pregnancies. Women with adequate total folate intake (‡400 mg/day) had an RR of GDM of 0.83 (95% CI 0.72, 0,95, P = 0.007) compared with women with inadequate intake (<400 mg/day). This association was entirely driven by supplemental folate intake. The RRs of GDM for 1-399, 400-599, and ‡600 mg/day of supplemental folate intake were 0.83, 0.77, and 0.70, respectively, compared with no supplemental folate intake (P trend = 0.002). The association between supplemental folate intake and GDM risk largely persisted after additional adjustment for intake of multivitamins and other micronutrients, as well as among women who likely planned for the pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS Higher habitual intakes of supplemental folate before pregnancy were significantly associated with lower GDM risk. If confirmed, these findings indicate that prepregnancy folic acid supplementation could offer a novel and low-cost avenue to reduce GDM risk.

The dietary intake of acrylamide (AA) is a health concern, and food is being monitored worldwide, but the extent of AA exposure from the diet is uncertain. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of estimated dietary intake. We performed a PubMed search identifying studies that used dietary questionnaires and recalls to estimate total dietary AA intake. A total of 101 studies were included, corresponding to 68 original study populations from 26 countries. Questionnaires were used in 57 studies, dietary recalls were used in 33 studies, and 11 studies used both methods. The estimated median AA intake ranged from 0.02 to 1.53 μg/kg body weight/day between studies. Children were represented in 25 studies, and the body-weight-adjusted estimated AA intake was up to three times higher for children than adults. The majority of studies were from Europe (n = 65), Asia (n = 17), and the USA (n = 12). Studies from Asia generally estimated lower intakes than studies from Europe and the USA. Differences in methods undermine direct comparison across studies. The assessment of AA intake through dietary questionnaires and recalls has limitations. The integration of these methods with the analysis of validated biomarkers of exposure/internal dose would improve the accuracy of dietary AA intake exposure estimation. This overview shows that AA exposure is widespread and the large variation across and within populations shows a potential for reduced intake among those with the highest exposure.