Abstract
The present study investigated the association of maternal dietary patterns with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and total gestational weight gain (GWG), using data of 232 women from the “Mamma & Bambino” cohort. Dietary patterns were derived by a food frequency questionnaire and principal component analysis. Self-reported pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG were calculated according to the World Health Organization and Institute of Medicine guidelines, respectively. The adherence to the “Western” dietary pattern—characterized by high intake of red meat, fries, dipping sauces, salty snacks and alcoholic drinks—was associated with increased GWG (β = 1.217; standard error [SE] = 0.487; p = 0.013), especially among obese women (β = 7.363; SE = 1.808; p = 0.005). In contrast, the adherence to the “prudent” dietary pattern—characterized by high intake of boiled potatoes, cooked vegetables, legumes, pizza and soup—was associated with reduced pre-pregnancy BMI (β = −0.631; SE = 0.318; p-trend = 0.038). Interestingly, the adherence to this pattern was positively associated with GWG among underweight (β = 4.127; SE = 1.722; p = 0.048), and negatively among overweight and obese individuals (β = −4.209; SE = 1.635; p = 0.016 and β = −7.356; SE = 2.304; p = 0.031, respectively). Our findings point out that the promotion of a healthy diet might represent a potential preventive strategy against inadequate weight gain, even during the periconceptional period.
Highlights
Despite great efforts to tackle the obesity epidemic through public health policies and individual treatments, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than two billion adults worldwide were overweight or obese in 2014 [1]
We observed an opposite effect across body mass index (BMI) categories: among underweight, we found a positive trend of gestational weight gain (GWG) across tertiles of the prudent dietary pattern (β = 4.127; SE = 1.722; p = 0.048); we showed a negative trend in overweight (β = −4.209; SE = 1.635; p = 0.016) and obese (β = −7.356; SE = 2.304; p = 0.031) women
Among mothers of the “Mamma & Bambino” cohort (Catania, Italy), we identified two dietary patterns: the prudent dietary pattern was characterized by a high intake of boiled potatoes, cooked vegetables, legumes, pizza and soup; by contrast, the Western dietary pattern was characterized by a high intake of red meat, fries, dipping sauces, salty snacks and alcoholic drinks
Summary
Despite great efforts to tackle the obesity epidemic through public health policies and individual treatments, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than two billion adults worldwide were overweight or obese in 2014 [1]. Excessive maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) is a risk factor for increased birth weight, which it turn has been associated with a higher risk of obesity in childhood and adulthood [2,3]. A low birth weight has been linked to higher body fat percentage and abdominal obesity in adolescents [4]. The amount of GWG may affect both maternal and newborn health: in mothers, excessive GWG has been associated with an increased risk of hypertension [5], diabetes [6], cesarean section [7], postpartum weight retention [8] and obesity [9]; in newborns, the most common outcomes of inadequate GWG are neonatal and infant mortality, preterm birth and fetal growth retardation [10]. In 2009, to face the increasing burden of these adverse
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