Evidence from intervention studies for antiinflammatory benefits is less consistent for higher-fiber or whole-grain diets than for low-GI/GL diets. Benefits of higher fiber and whole-grain intakes suggested by observational studies may reflect confounding.
Objectives
The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and associated
factors of dietary supplement use, particularly supplements containing vitamin D and
fatty acids, in pregnant women enrolled in a multi-national study.
Design
The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study is a
prospective longitudinal cohort study. Maternal dietary supplement use was self-reported
through questionnaires at month 3 to 4 postpartum.
Setting
Six clinical research centres; three in the USA (Colorado, Georgia/Florida and
Washington) and three in Europe (Sweden, Finland and Germany).
Subjects
Mothers (n 7326) to infants screened for high-risk HLA-DQ
genotypes of type 1 diabetes.
Results
Ninety-two per cent of the 7326 women used one or more types of supplement
during pregnancy. Vitamin D supplements were taken by 65 % of the women, with the
highest proportion of users in the USA (80·5 %). Overall, 16 % of the women
reported taking fatty acid supplements and a growing trend was seen in all countries
between 2004 and 2010 (P < 0·0001). The use was more
common in Germany (32 %) and the USA (24 %) compared with Finland (8·5 %) and Sweden
(7·0 %). Being pregnant with the first child was a strong predictor for any
supplement use in all countries. Low maternal age (<25 years), higher education,
BMI ≥ 25·0 kg/m2 and smoking during pregnancy were factors
associated with supplement use in some but not all countries.
Conclusions
The majority of the women used dietary supplements during pregnancy. The use
was associated with sociodemographic and behavioural factors, such as parity, maternal
age, education, BMI and maternal smoking.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.