Abnormal gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. We examined whether dietary patterns are associated with GWG. Participants included 3374 pregnant women from a population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Dietary intake during pregnancy was assessed with food-frequency questionnaires. Three a posteriori-derived dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis: a “Vegetable, oil and fish”, a “Nuts, high-fiber cereals and soy”, and a “Margarine, sugar and snacks” pattern. The a priori-defined dietary pattern was based on national dietary recommendations. Weight was repeatedly measured around 13, 20 and 30 weeks of pregnancy; pre-pregnancy and maximum weight were self-reported. Normal weight women with high adherence to the “Vegetable, oil and fish” pattern had higher early-pregnancy GWG than those with low adherence (43 g/week (95% CI 16; 69) for highest vs. lowest quartile (Q)). Adherence to the “Margarine, sugar and snacks” pattern was associated with a higher prevalence of excessive GWG (OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.06; 1.99) Q4 vs. Q1). Normal weight women with higher scores on the “Nuts, high-fiber cereals and soy” pattern had more moderate GWG than women with lower scores (−0.01 (95% CI −0.02; −0.00) per SD). The a priori-defined pattern was not associated with GWG. To conclude, specific dietary patterns may play a role in early pregnancy but are not consistently associated with GWG.

We studied the associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain with risks of preschool wheezing in offspring and explored the role of growth, infectious and atopic mechanisms.This substudy of 4656 children was embedded in a population-based birth cohort. Information about maternal pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain and wheezing at the ages of 1-4 years was obtained by either physical measurements or questionnaires.Among mothers with a history of asthma or atopy, maternal pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with an overall increased risk of preschool wheezing (odds ratio 1.47, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.95). Also, each standard deviation increase of gestational weight gain was associated with an increased overall risk of preschool wheezing (1.09, 1.04-1.14), was independent of pre-pregnancy body mass index and was not different between mothers with and without a history of asthma or atopy. Child's growth, respiratory tract infections or eczema did not alter the results.Mothers with pre-pregnancy obesity and a history of asthma or atopy, and mothers with higher gestational weight gain showed higher risks of wheezing in their offspring. These associations could not be explained by growth, infectious or atopic mechanisms. Further research is needed to identify underlying mechanisms and long-term consequences. @ERSpublications Pre-pregnancy obesity associated with increased risk of wheezing in offspring, if mothers have history of asthma or atopy

Our findings suggest that higher dietary intake and higher blood concentrations of lutein are generally associated with better cardiometabolic health. However, evidence mainly comes from observational studies in adults, whereas large-scale intervention studies and studies of lutein during pregnancy and childhood are scarce.

BackgroundChildren’s fussy eating behavior has been related to both underweight and overweight in cross-sectional studies, but the direction of these associations and the relation with more detailed measures of body composition remains unclear. We aimed to examine whether fussy eating at age 4 years is longitudinally related to body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) at 6 years of age.MethodsThis study was embedded in Generation R, a population-based, prospective cohort. Data were available for 4191 children. The Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), administered at age 4 years, was used to derive a fussy eating profile. This profile is characterized by high scores on food avoidant scales and low scores on food approach scales. At age 6 years, height and weight were measured at our research center. Body fat and fat-free mass were measured using Dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry. We used age- and sex-specific standard deviation scores (SDS) for all outcomes.ResultsAfter adjustment for confounders, the fussy eating profile was related to lower BMI-SDS (B = −0.37, 95 % CI: −0.47;−0.26), lower FMI-SDS (B = −0.22, 95 % CI: −0.33;−0.12) and lower FFMI-SDS (B = −0.41, 95 % CI: −0.54;−0.29). When adjusting for baseline BMI at 4 years, the fussy eating profile predicted a 0.11 lower BMI-SDS at age 6 (95 % CI: −0.19;−0.04). This change in BMI was mainly due to a decrease in FFMI (B = −0.19, 95 % CI: −0.29;−0.09). Fussy eaters also had a higher risk of becoming underweight than non-fussy eaters (OR = 2.28, 95 % CI: 1.34;3.87).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that young fussy eaters are at risk of having a lower fat free mass and of becoming underweight over a 2-year period. This implies that fussy eaters may benefit from careful monitoring to prevent an adverse growth development.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0313-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evidence to confirm the suggested effects of choline on health in different stages of life is scarce. Potential effects of choline need to be confirmed by intervention studies. Possible harmful effects on cardiometabolic health need careful evaluation.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy might influence the fetal immune system through anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids, and might affect the risks of childhood asthma and atopy. In Generation R, a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands, we examined the associations of first trimester fish consumption with childhood wheezing and eczema in the first 4 years of life. METHODS: In total, 2976 mothers completed a 293-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire covering dietary intake in the first trimester. The occurrence of wheezing and eczema was yearly assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS: Median weekly fish consumption was 83 (95% range 0-316) grams per week. We observed no consistent associations of maternal total-, lean-or fatty-fish consumption during pregnancy with the risks of childhood wheezing. Maternal shellfish consumption of 1-13 g per week was associated with overall increased risks of childhood wheezing and eczema (OR 1.20 (1.04, 1.40) and OR 1.18 (1.01, 1.37), respectively). Maternal fatty fish consumption of 35-69 g per week was associated with increased overall risks of childhood eczema (OR 1.17 (1.00, 1.38)), but maternal total-or lean-fish consumption was not. CONCLUSIONS: During pregnancy, shellfish consumption was associated with increased risks of wheezing and eczema, while fatty fish consumption was associated with a higher risk of eczema only. Maternal total fish or lean fish consumption were not associated with wheezing or eczema. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and to explore underlying mechanisms.

Our results suggest that the associations between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and body composition of the child at age 6 y are to a large extent explained by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors of mother and child.

Trials related to this study were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00005131 (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities), NCT00005133 (Cardiovascular Health Study), NCT00005121 (Framingham Offspring Study), NCT00005487 (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) and NCT00005152 (Nurses' Health Study).