Abstract
Background. The small-for-gestational-age (SGA) in infants is related to an increased risk of developing Non-Communicable Diseases later in life. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is related to lower odds of being SGA. The study explored retrospectively the association between SGA, maternal MD adherence, lifestyle habits and other SGA risk factors during pregnancy. Methods. One hundred women (16–44 years) with a pregnancy at term were enrolled. Demographic data, parity, pre-gestational BMI, gestational weight gain, pregnancy-related diseases, and type of delivery were collected. The MD adherence (MEDI-LITE score ≥ 9), physical activity level, and smoking/alcohol consumption were registered. SGA neonates were diagnosed according to the neonatal growth curves. Results. Women were divided into “SGA group” vs. “non-SGA group”. The MD was adopted by 71% of women and its adherence was higher in the “non-SGA group” (p = 0.02). The prevalence of pregnancy-related diseases (gestational diabetes/pregnancy-induced hypertension) was higher in the “SGA group” (p = 0.01). The logistic regression showed that pregnancy-related diseases were the only independent risk factor for SGA. Conclusions. MD may indirectly reduce the risk of SGA since it prevents and exerts a positive effect on pregnancy-related diseases (e.g., gestational diabetes and hypertension). The small sample size of women in the SGA group of the study imposes a major limitation to the results and conclusions of this research, suggesting however that it is worthy of further investigation.
Highlights
Being small for gestational age is associated with increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal mortality, and the risk of SGA is related to socio-demographic maternal variables, maternal weight status, chronic diseases, and nulliparity and maternal lifestyle risk factors [22,23,24]
The Mediterranean diet is a healthy dietary pattern and should be adopted during pregnancy, and studies reported that adherence to the MD is associated with a reduced risk of SGA
Even if in our cohort, the adherence to the MD was not an independent factor for the prevention of SGA we can conclude that MD may indirectly reduce the risk of SGA since it prevents and exerts a positive effect on pregnancy-related diseases such as gestational diabetes and hypertension [5]
Summary
A precious time window to shape the baby’s health and to prevent acute and chronic diseases through correct nutritional choices includes the first 1000 days, from conception to the second year of life [2]. In this context, prior studies have shown the association of specific nutrients or food groups consumed during pregnancy with the improvement or the prevention of some mother and baby diseases [2,3,4]. MD may indirectly reduce the risk of SGA since it prevents and exerts a positive effect on pregnancy-related diseases (e.g., gestational diabetes and hypertension). The small sample size of women in the SGA group of the study imposes a major limitation to the results and conclusions of this research, suggesting that it is worthy of further investigation
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