Associations between maternal lifestyle factors and neonatal body composition in the screening for pregnancy endpoints (CORK) cohort study

Abstract

Background A person's chronic disease risk can be influenced during their fetal development in ways that are likely mediated by their body composition at birth. A better understanding of how maternal lifestyle is related to newborn body composition could thus inform intervention efforts. Methods Using Cork participant data (n = 1754) from the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) cohort study (ECM5(10)05/02/08), we estimated how pre-pregnancy body size, gestational weight gain, exercise, alcohol, smoking and diet were related to neonatal fat and fat-free mass, as well as length and gestational age at birth, using quantile regression. Maternal factors were measured by a trained research midwife at 15 gestational weeks, in addition to a 3rd trimester weight measurement used to calculate weight gain. Infant body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography. Results Healthy (versus excess) gestational weight gain was associated with lower median fat-free mass (−112 g, 95%CI: −47 to −176) and fat mass (−33 g, 95%CI: −1 to −65) in the offspring and a 103 g decrease in the 95th centile of fat mass (95%CI: −33 to −174). Maternal normal weight status (versus obesity) was associated with lower median fat mass (−48 g, 95%CI: −12 to −84). At the highest centiles, fat mass was lower among infants of women who engaged in frequent moderate-intensity exercise early in the pregnancy (−92 g at the 95th centile, 95%CI: −168 to −16). No other lifestyle factors were strongly related to infant body composition. Conclusions These results suggest that supporting healthy maternal lifestyles could reduce the risk of excess fat accumulation in the offspring, without increasing the risk of low body fat, or adversely affecting fat-free mass development, length or gestational age.