Associations of Prenatal Dietary Inflammatory Potential with Childhood Respiratory Outcomes in Project Viva

Abstract

Inflammation during pregnancy may be a factor in the developmental programming of asthma and wheeze in childhood. To examine associations of inflammatory potential of prenatal diet with respiratory outcomes in early childhood and midchildhood. Among 1424 mother-child pairs in Project Viva, a prebirth cohort, we examined associations of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) (first trimester, second trimester, and average of first and second trimesters) scores in relation to ever asthma and wheezing in the past year (early childhood and midchildhood); current asthma and lung function (midchildhood), and wheeze trajectory during 1 to 9 years. We used multivariable linear and logistic regression modeling, adjusting for relevant confounders. In a fully adjusted analysis, a more proinflammatory diet was associated with an early versus never wheeze trajectory (first- and second-trimester average fourth vs first quartile: odds ratio, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.14-3.13). A more proinflammatory diet during pregnancy also was associated with lower forced expiratory flow (forced expiratory flow at 25%-75%) in midchildhood (first- and second-trimester average fourth vs first quartile: β,-132 mL; 95% CI,-249 to-14). Results were evident for first-, but not second-, trimester DII and wheeze trajectory and midchildhood forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75%. Other child respiratory outcomes, including ever asthma, were not related to any DII measure during pregnancy. Proinflammatory diet during pregnancy is associated with wheeze trajectory during early childhood and decrements in small airways caliber in midchildhood, but not other respiratory outcomes in the offspring.