Associations of Diet with Cardiometabolic and Inflammatory Profiles in Pregnant Women at Risk for Metabolic Complications

Abstract

Dietary intakes play an important role in the development of metabolic complications during pregnancy. While reported observational studies reveal an inverse association of healthy diets with weight gain, gestational diabetes, and hypertensive complications during pregnancy, there is a paucity of studies conducted among women of specific ethnicities vulnerable to higher risks of pregnancy complications. This is a secondary cross sectional analysis using baseline data from a previously reported clinical trial. We aim to identify associations of maternal habitual dietary intakes with cardiometabolic risks and inflammatory profiles in primarily African American (AA) and Hispanic women in the first half of pregnancy. Fifty-two women met the study criteria and anthropometric, clinical, and dietary data were obtained at baseline. Linear regression analysis was used to determine associations after covariate adjustments. Among the maternal dietary nutrient intakes, total fats were positively associated with maternal body weight, BMI, and serum CRP (β ± SE: 0.25 ± 0.13, 0.28 ± 0.18, and 0.29 ± 0.14, respectively, all p < 0.05), and saturated fats were positively associated with glycated hemoglobin (0.32 ± 0.12). Dietary fiber intake showed a consistent inverse association with body weight (−0.26 ± 0.13), BMI (−0.19 ± 0.15), glycated hemoglobin (−0.22 ± 0.16), as well as serum CRP (−0.19 ± 0.14). Among the maternal food group intakes, dairy intake was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure (−0.18 ± 0.15) and serum IL-6 (−0.22 ± 0.17), and vegetable intake showed an inverse association with serum CRP (−0.17 ± 0.12) all in adjusted analyses (all p < 0.05). Thus, maternal diet modifications, especially decreasing fats and increasing fiber and dairy may help address obesity and inflammation leading to pregnancy complications in AA and Hispanic women.

Psychological factors and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease development in women: A narrative review

“…The maternal dietary intake of obese Hispanic women may modulate cardiometabolic risks and inflammatory profiles during pregnancy 34 . Specifically, increased total fat and saturated fat intake showed positive associations with classic risk factors for metabolic complications in pregnancy and increased fiber, dairy, and vegetable intake appeared to be inversely related to these classic risk factors for metabolic complications 34 .…”

“…The maternal dietary intake of obese Hispanic women may modulate cardiometabolic risks and inflammatory profiles during pregnancy 34 . Specifically, increased total fat and saturated fat intake showed positive associations with classic risk factors for metabolic complications in pregnancy and increased fiber, dairy, and vegetable intake appeared to be inversely related to these classic risk factors for metabolic complications 34 . A recent systematic review of controlled clinical trials, suggests that diet may affect levels of some lipid profile markers, glycaemic indices, and blood pressure among postmenopausal women but the heterogeneity in the interventional studies is large and findings are still inconclusive 21 .…”

Utilizing Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography with Phosphatidylserine Microbubbles to Detect Placental Inflammation in Rhesus Macaques

“…The maternal diet during pregnancy can influence inflammation in serum and placental tissues [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The proteins of the p38MAPK inflammatory signaling pathway are lower in the placental villi of pregnant individuals consuming a healthier diet [ 7 ].…”

The effect of dietary fiber supplement on prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus in women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity: A randomized controlled trial

“…Dietary fiber consists of nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin, which are not digested and absorbed by the human body ( Barber et al, 2020 ). Several studies show that increasing the intake of dietary fiber during pregnancy benefits a lot of women by reducing excessive weight gain, insulin resistance, and lowering the risk of glucose intolerance ( Pretorius and Palmer, 2020 ; Jaworsky et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ). Fruits and vegetables, along with whole-grains, are excellent sources of dietary fiber, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved that foods high in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains have multiple health benefits for pregnant women ( Zerfu and Mekuria, 2019 ).…”