Abstract
We investigated the associations between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and early childhood growth trajectories and overweight/obesity risk in offspring. Maternal diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire during the second trimester, and dietary patterns were derived by reduced rank regression. The associations between maternal dietary pattern scores and body mass index (BMI) trajectories from birth to age four (rising-high, moderate, and low BMI trajectories) as well as overweight/obesity risk at age four were analyzed (n = 1257). Two maternal dietary patterns were identified. The fast food pattern included a higher intake of fried chicken and fish, fruit juices, mayonnaise, and sugar-sweetened beverages, while the processed food pattern included a higher intake of dairy, salad dressing, processed meat, and cold breakfast cereal. Women with greater adherence to the fast food pattern were more likely to have children in the rising-high BMI trajectory group [OR (95% CI) = 1.32 (1.07–1.62); p = 0.008] or having overweight/obesity at age four [OR (95% CI) = 1.31 (1.11–1.54); p = 0.001]. The processed food pattern was not associated with these outcomes. The maternal dietary pattern during pregnancy represented by fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages may contribute to rapid early childhood growth and increased risk for obesity in offspring.
Highlights
Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health concern in the US
Using the rank regression (RRR) method with maternal pregnancy BMI (pBMI) and Gestational weight gain (GWG) as intermediate response variables, we identified two maternal dietary patterns, the fast food pattern and the processed food pattern (Table 1)
Details of the consumption of the 36 food groups across the quartiles of the two dietary pattern scores are listed in the Tables S2 and S3
Summary
Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health concern in the US. According to national data, one-third of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years were overweight (16.6%) or obese (18.5%) in2015–2016 [1]. Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health concern in the US. One-third of children and adolescents aged 2–19 years were overweight (16.6%) or obese (18.5%) in. Childhood obesity has imposed a heavy economic burden on the health care system [10,11,12]. Identifying the early risk factors of childhood obesity will guide prevention efforts to reduce this burden and promote long-term health. According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, changes in the intrauterine environment at critical/sensitive periods of the developmental process could have irreversible, lifelong consequences in offspring metabolism [13]. Maternal diet during pregnancy is the primary source of energy for the fetus [14] and supplies key nutrients for fetal development [15]
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