Relationship of maternal vitamin C intake with fetal and infant growth: Mothers and Children′s Environmental Health (MOCEH)

Abstract

Oxidative stress during pregnancy plays an important role in fetal growth. Vitamin C plays a major role in providing the antioxidant defense against oxygen free radicals. We examined the associations of maternal vitamin C intake with fetal and infant growth using data from 1216 participants in the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH), a multi‐center prospective cohort study in South Korea. Dietary intakes in mid pregnancy were estimated by a 24‐hour recall method, and infant weights and heights were measured at birth and 6 months after birth (n = 1216 and 933, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that maternal vitamin C intake was positively associated with birth height (P = 0.0513) after adjustment for covariates that may affect fetal growth. We also observed a positive association between vitamin C intake and height at 6 months after birth (P = 0.0222). Results of this study suggest that higher intake of vitamin C in mid pregnancy is associated with higher infant height at birth and 6 months after birth.