Maternal low glycaemic index diet, fat intake and postprandial glucose influences neonatal adiposity – secondary analysis from the ROLO study

Abstract

BackgroundThe in utero environment is known to affect fetal development however many of the mechanisms by which this occurs remain unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal dietary macronutrient intake and lifestyle throughout pregnancy and neonatal weight and adiposity.MethodsThis was an analysis of 542 mother and infant pairs from the ROLO study (Randomised cOntrol trial of LOw glycaemic index diet versus no dietary intervention to prevent recurrence of fetal macrosomia). Food diaries as well as food frequency and lifestyle and physical activity questionnaires were completed during pregnancy. Maternal anthropometry was measured throughout pregnancy and neonatal anthropometry was measured at birth.ResultsMultiple linear regression analysis revealed the main maternal factor associated with increased birth weight was greater gestational weight gain R2adj23.3% (F = 11.547, p < 0.001). The main maternal factor associated with increased birth length was non-smoking status R2adj27.8% (F = 6.193, p < 0.001). Neonatal central adiposity (determined using waist:length ratio) was negatively associated with maternal age, and positively associated with the following parameters: smoking status, maternal pre-pregnancy arm circumference, percentage energy from saturated fat in late pregnancy, postprandial glucose at 28 weeks gestation and membership of the control group with a positive trend towards association with trimester 2 glycaemic load R2adj 38.1% (F = 8.000, p < 0.001).ConclusionsSeveral maternal diet and lifestyle factors were associated with neonatal anthropometry . Low glycaemic index dietary intervention in pregnancy was found to have a beneficial effect on neonatal central adiposity. Additionally, central adiposity was positively associated with maternal dietary fat intake and postprandial glucose highlighting the important role of healthy diet in pregnancy in promoting normal neonatal adiposity.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN54392969.

Maternal Glucose and Fatty Acid Kinetics and Infant Birth Weight in Obese Women With Type 2 Diabetes

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The effect of antenatal lifestyle advice for women who are overweight or obese on secondary measures of neonatal body composition: the LIMIT randomised trial

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High cholesterol dietary intake during pregnancy is associated with large for gestational age in a sample of low‐income women of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…In contrast, we did not find a significant association between dietary total lipid and saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids intake with LGA newborns. Other studies have found an association between cholesterol dietary intake (Campos, Pereira, Queiroz, & Saunders, ), maternal dietary fat intake (Horan, McGowan, Gibney, Donnelly, & McAuliffe, ) and a lipid‐based nutritional supplement intake (Adu‐Afarwuah et al, ) and a newborn's anthropometric measurements and fetal growth as measured by birth weight and BMI‐for‐age z ‐scores. According to Kulkarni et al (), data from the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study revealed that the cholesterol concentrations at both 18 and 28 gestational weeks were positively associated with the newborn birth size.…”

“…The association between higher energy and fat intake during pregnancy with birth weight is not completely understood (Rao et al, ; Lagiou et al, ; Godhia, Nigudkar, & Desai, ), and further questions arise. Some studies (Kulkarni et al, ; Horan et al, ; Ye et al, ) suggest that dietary fat intake and maternal lipid profile levels could be linked to the newborn birth weight. Studies also reported a positive association between animal fat intake during the second trimester of pregnancy and newborn birth size (Weigel, Nárváez, López, Félix, & López, ) as well as a positive association between the percentage of maternal energy intake from saturated fat in late pregnancy and neonatal central adiposity (Lagiou et al, ).…”