Maternal Lifestyle Factors Research Articles

Effects of maternal lifestyle factors in early pregnancy on neonatal outcomes

Background Early pregnancy lifestyle determinants (e.g., physical activity, dietary patterns) and emotional disturbances have been associated with lower birthweight and smaller head circumferences. Adverse neonatal outcomes may impact profoundly on children’s later development. However, while most of previous studies focused on a single factor, a comprehensive profile simultaneously considering the effects of multiple lifestyle contributors was limited. Our study was thus aimed at …

Determinants of Neonatal Vitamin D Levels as Measured on Neonatal Dried Blood Spot Samples

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is linked to adverse childhood health outcomes, yet data on the distribution and quantifiable determinants of neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25OHD) concentration, a vitamin D biomarker, are limited. Objective: Our aim was to identify determinants of neonatal 25OHD concentration, measured using neonatal dried blood spots (DBS). Methods: A total of 259 ethnically diverse children aged 0-16 years born in Victoria, Australia, were recruited. Data included maternal sun exposure, skin type, 25OHD concentration on stored neonatal DBS, and genotypes at the target genes. Associations were investigated using multiple linear regression models. Results: The median 25OHD concentration was 29.2 nmol/l (IQR 18.0-47.4). Measured 25OHD was <50 nmol/l in almost half of the neonatal sample. Ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR) 6 weeks before birth was the strongest predictor of neonatal 25OHD, accounting for 23% of its variation. A further 10% was explained by infant genetic variants at GC (rs2282679), the gene encoding the vitamin D binding protein, and DHCR7 (rs12785878), a gene required for synthesis of 7-dehydrocholesterol, a precursor to 25OHD. DBS age explained 7%, and patterns of maternal sun exposure and clothing choices accounted for 4%. A child's skin colour was strongly associated with GC gene variants and not independent of these variants in predicting 25OHD. The final model explained 43% of the total variance in neonatal 25OHD concentration. Conclusion: Maternal lifestyle factors and infant genetic variants predict neonatal 25OHD levels; the importance of maternal UVR exposure in late pregnancy is highlighted.

Seasonality of gestational diabetes mellitus: a South Australian population study

ObjectiveTo investigate whether there is a seasonal variation in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Research design and methodsThis retrospective cohort study of 60 306 eligible South Australian live-born singletons...

Maternal Lifestyle Factors and Fetal Macrosomia Risk: A Review

Fetal macrosomia is associated with a number of health complications for both mother and infant in the immediate, short, and long-term. Maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) have long been associated with fetal macrosomia, however the impact of maternal lifestyle factors such as dietary intake and energy balance, in combination with the timing and composition of weight gain, have been less studied. It is also clear that although maternal obesity and excessive GWG increase the risk of fetal macrosomia independently, the risk is magnified with the presence of both risk factors, suggesting that interventions to control GWG may be particularly important for obese women. Association studies examining the relationship between fetal nutrient availability, epigenetic modifications, and infant anthropometrics are also required. This review provides an overview of the current evidence examining the role of maternal lifestyle factors on the prevalence of fetal macrosomia and identifies areas where further research is required in order to inform the design of appropriate intervention strategies.

The association between maternal nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy and 2-year-old offspring adiposity: analysis from the ROLO study

AimTo examine the association between maternal nutrition and lifestyle factors and offspring adiposity, using baseline and 2-year postpartum follow-up data from a randomised control trial of low glycaemic index diet.Subject and methodsFood diaries and lifestyle questionnaires were completed during pregnancy and infant feeding and maternal lifestyle questionnaires 2 years postpartum for 281 mother and infant pairs from the ROLO study. Maternal anthropometry was measured throughout pregnancy and infant and maternal anthropometry was measured 2 years postpartum.ResultsMaternal 2 year postpartum body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with offspring BMI-for-age z-score (B = 0.105, p = 0.015). Trimester 2 saturated fat intake was positively associated with offspring subscapular:triceps skinfold ratio (B = 0.018, p = 0.001). Trimester 1 glycaemic index was also positively associated with offspring sum of subscapular and triceps skinfolds (B = 0.009, p = 0.029).ConclusionsMaternal BMI 2 years postpartum was positively associated with offspring BMI. Pregnancy saturated fat intake was positively and polyunsaturated fat negatively associated with offspring adiposity. While further research is necessary, pregnancy and the postpartum period may be early opportunities to combat childhood obesity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10389-016-0740-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Médicaments et grossesse : une enquête menée auprès de 374 femmes en France

The objectives of this study were to describe drug use during pregnancy in a context of acute and chronic diseases during pregnancy. An additional aim was to analyze the maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with medication use in pregnancy. Cross-sectional, web-based descriptive study conducted among French women using a 33-item web-based questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyzes were performed to assess the association between socio-demographic/lifestyle factors and medication use in pregnancy. A total of 374 women completed the questionnaire. Of these, 75.1% (n=280) and 12.6% (n=47) used medication for treatment for acute and chronic diseases, respectively. A total of 68.9% (n=258) of women surveyed have deliberately avoided taking non-prescribed drugs when they were pregnant. Non-users of folic acid were less often taking medications (78.9%) than folic acid users (89.5%) OR=0.44 [0.24; 0.79]. More than eight out of ten women have taken medication during pregnancy especially analgesics. The maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle factors do not seem to impact on the use of medication during pregnancy.

Dietary Patterns in Pregnancy in New Zealand—Influence of Maternal Socio-Demographic, Health and Lifestyle Factors

Exploration of dietary pattern associations within a multi-ethnic society context has been limited. We aimed to describe dietary patterns of 5664 pregnant women from the Growing Up in New Zealand study, and investigate associations between these patterns and maternal socio-demographic, place of birth, health and lifestyle factors. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire prior to the birth of their child. Principal components analysis was used to extract dietary patterns and multivariable analyses used to determine associations. Four dietary components were extracted. Higher scores on, ‘Junk’ and ‘Traditional/White bread’, were associated with decreasing age, lower educational levels, being of Pacific or Māori ethnicity and smoking. Higher scores on, ‘Health conscious’ and ‘Fusion/Protein’, were associated with increasing age, better self-rated health, lower pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and not smoking. Higher scores on ‘Junk’ and ‘Health conscious’ were associated with being born in New Zealand (NZ), whereas higher scores on ‘Fusion/Protein’ was associated with being born outside NZ and being of non-European ethnicity, particularly Asian. High scores on the ‘Health conscious’ dietary pattern showed the highest odds of adherence to the pregnancy dietary guidelines. In this cohort of pregnant women different dietary patterns were associated with migration, ethnicity, socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviors and adherence to dietary guidelines.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Nonylphenol Levels: A Case-Control Study in Taiwanese Children.

ObjectiveNonylphenol (NP) belongs to the family of endocrine disruptors, and it is widely used in industrial applications and is ubiquitous in daily foods. Animal studies have suggested that NP exposure might promote motor hyperactivity, likely by causing deficits in dopaminergic neurons. However, research assessing NP exposure and epidemiology studies on human populations are limited. The aim of this study was to explore the association between child NP exposure and ADHD while considering particular covariants, such as lead levels and dopamine-related gene variations.MethodsA case-control study was conducted on patients with clinically diagnosed ADHD; the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham, Fourth Revision (SNAP-IV) questionnaire was used to identify normal controls aged 4–15 years. Participants were examined for urinary NP concentrations, blood lead levels, and select single-nucleotide polymorphisms of two dopamine-related genes (D4 dopamine receptor, DRD4, and dopamine transporter, DAT1). Socio-demographic variables, maternal lifestyle factors during pregnancy and family medical history were obtained using a questionnaire.ResultsA total of 97 children with doctor-diagnosed ADHD and 110 normal controls were enrolled. The blood lead levels in both groups were similar (1.57±0.73 vs. 1.73±0.77 μg/dL, p = 0.15). No significant difference in urinary NP concentration was found between the children with ADHD and the control subjects (4.52±3.22 μg/g cr. vs. 4.64±2.95 μg/g cr., p = 0.43). ADHD was significantly more prevalent among males in this study (male to female ratio: 5:1 for the ADHD group and 1.3:1 for the control group, p<0.01). The analysis was repeated after excluding the females, but this had no effect on the association between NP and ADHD. The regression model, including or excluding females, indicated no increased odds of having ADHD in the context of NP exposure after adjusting for covariants.ConclusionThis study indicated that NP exposure might not promote ADHD in children, even though children in Taiwan had relatively high levels of NP compared to those reported previously and those in developed nations.

Associations between prenatal mercury exposure and early child development in the ALSPAC study

IntroductionThere is evidence that high levels of mercury exposure to the pregnant woman can result in damage to the brain of the developing fetus. However there is uncertainty as to whether lower levels of the metal have adverse effects on the development of the infant and whether components of fish consumption and/or the selenium status of the woman is protective. MethodsIn this study we analysed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (n=2875–3264) to determine whether levels of total blood mercury of pregnant women collected in the first half of pregnancy are associated with the development of the offspring at ages 6, 18, 30 and 42 months. The developmental measures used maternal self-reported scales for individual types of development (fine and gross motor, social and communication skills) and total scores. Multiple and logistic regression analyses treated the outcomes both as continuous and as suboptimal (the lowest 15th centile). The statistical analyses first examined the association of prenatal mercury exposure with these developmental endpoints and then adjusted each for a number of social and maternal lifestyle factors; finally this model was adjusted for the blood selenium level. ResultsTotal maternal prenatal blood mercury and selenium ranged from 0.17 to 12.76 and 17.0 to 324μg/L respectively. We found no evidence to suggest that prenatal levels of maternal blood mercury were associated with adverse development of the child, even when the mother had consumed no fish during pregnancy. In general, the higher the mercury level the more advanced the development of the child within the range of exposure studied. For example, the fully adjusted effect sizes for total development at 6 and 42 months were +0.51 [95%CI +0.05, +1.00] and +0.43 [95%CI +0.08, +0.78] points per SD of mercury. For the risk of suboptimal development the ORs at these ages were 0.90 [95%CI 0.80, 1.02] and 0.88 [95%CI 0.77, 1.02]. In regard to the associations between blood mercury and child development there were no differences between the mothers who ate fish and those who did not, thus implying that the benefits were not solely due to the beneficial nutrients in fish. ConclusionsWe found no evidence of adverse associations between maternal prenatal blood mercury and child development between 6 and 42 months of age. The significant associations that were present were all in the beneficial direction.

Determinants of Ethnic Differences in Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Seroprevalence in Childhood

To identify whether there are ethnic differences in cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) seroprevalence rates in children at 6 years of age, and when present, to evaluate how these differences can be explained by sociodemographic and environmental factors. This study was embedded within a multi-ethnic population-based prospective cohort study. Serum IgG levels against CMV, EBV, and HSV-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 4464 children (median age 6.0 years). Information on demographics and characteristics were assessed by questionnaires. Herpesvirus seroprevalences between Surinamese-Creole, Surinamese-Hindustani, Turkish, Moroccan, Cape Verdean Antillean, and Native Dutch children were compared. Non-Western ethnicity was an independent risk factor for CMV (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI 1.81-2.57), EBV (1.76; 1.48-2.09), and HSV-1 seropositivity (1.52; 1.39-1.66). Among the ethnic groups, CMV seroprevalences ranged between 29% and 65%, EBV between 43% and 69%, and HSV-1 between 13% and 39%. Low family net household income, low maternal educational level, crowding, and lifestyle factors explained up to 48% of the ethnic differences in HSV-1 seroprevalences, and up to 39% of the ethnic differences in EBV seroprevalences. These factors did not explain ethnic differences in CMV seroprevalences. Socioeconomic position and factors related to lifestyle explain only a part of the large ethnic differences in EBV and HSV-1 seroprevalences, whereas they do not explain ethnic differences in CMV seroprevalences in childhood.

Maternal Factors Are Associated with the Expression of Placental Genes Involved in Amino Acid Metabolism and Transport.

IntroductionMaternal environment and lifestyle factors may modify placental function to match the mother’s capacity to support the demands of fetal growth. Much remains to be understood about maternal influences on placental metabolic and amino acid transporter gene expression. We investigated the influences of maternal lifestyle and body composition (e.g. fat and muscle content) on a selection of metabolic and amino acid transporter genes and their associations with fetal growth.MethodsRNA was extracted from 102 term Southampton Women’s Survey placental samples. Expression of nine metabolic, seven exchange, eight accumulative and three facilitated transporter genes was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR.ResultsIncreased placental LAT2 (p = 0.01), y + LAT2 (p = 0.03), aspartate aminotransferase 2 (p = 0.02) and decreased aspartate aminotransferase 1 (p = 0.04) mRNA expression associated with pre-pregnancy maternal smoking. Placental mRNA expression of TAT1 (p = 0.01), ASCT1 (p = 0.03), mitochondrial branched chain aminotransferase (p = 0.02) and glutamine synthetase (p = 0.05) was positively associated with maternal strenuous exercise. Increased glutamine synthetase mRNA expression (r = 0.20, p = 0.05) associated with higher maternal diet quality (prudent dietary pattern) pre-pregnancy. Lower LAT4 (r = -0.25, p = 0.05) and aspartate aminotransferase 2 mRNA expression (r = -0.28, p = 0.01) associated with higher early pregnancy diet quality. Lower placental ASCT1 mRNA expression associated with measures of increased maternal fat mass, including pre-pregnancy BMI (r = -0.26, p = 0.01). Lower placental mRNA expression of alanine aminotransferase 2 associated with greater neonatal adiposity, for example neonatal subscapular skinfold thickness (r = -0.33, p = 0.001).ConclusionA number of maternal influences have been linked with outcomes in childhood, independently of neonatal size; our finding of associations between placental expression of transporter and metabolic genes and maternal smoking, physical activity and diet raises the possibility that their effects are mediated in part through alterations in placental function. The observed changes in placental gene expression in relation to modifiable maternal factors are important as they could form part of interventions aimed at maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the mother and for optimal fetal development.

Maternal Lifestyle and Behavioral Factors Affecting on the Prevalence of Spontaneous Preterm Birth

Maternal Lifestyle and Behavioral Factors Affecting on the Prevalence of Spontaneous Preterm Birth

Maternal ambient air pollution exposure preconception and during early gestation and offspring congenital orofacial defects

BackgroundMaternal air pollution exposure has been related to orofacial clefts but the literature is equivocal. Potential chronic preconception effects have not been studied. ObjectivesCriteria air pollutant exposure during three months preconception and gestational weeks 3–8 was studied in relation to orofacial defects. MethodsAmong 188,102 live births and fetal deaths from the Consortium on Safe Labor (2002–2008), 63 had isolated cleft palate (CP) and 159 had isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL ±CP). Exposures were estimated using a modified Community Multiscale Air Quality model. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations adjusted for site/region and maternal demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI per interquartile increase in each pollutant. ResultsPreconception, carbon monoxide (CO; OR=2.24; CI: 1.21, 4.16) and particulate matter (PM) ≤10µm (OR=1.72; CI: 1.12, 2.66) were significantly associated with CP, while sulfur dioxide (SO2) was associated with CL ±CP (OR=1.93; CI: 1.16, 3.21). During gestational weeks 3–8, CO remained a significant risk for CP (OR=2.74; CI: 1.62, 4.62) and nitrogen oxides (NOx; OR=3.64; CI: 1.73, 7.66) and PM ≤2.5µm (PM2.5; OR=1.74; CI: 1.15, 2.64) were also related to the risk. Analyses by individual week revealed that positive associations of NOx and PM2.5 with CP were most prominent from weeks 3–6 and 3–5, respectively. ConclusionsExposure to several criteria air pollutants preconception and during early gestation was associated with elevated odds for CP, while CL ±CP was only associated with preconception SO2 exposure.

Maternal lifestyle during pregnancy and child psychomotor development — Polish Mother and Child Cohort study

BackgroundNowadays special attention is paid to prenatal exposures to maternal lifestyle factors and their impact on a child development. AimThe objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of modifiable maternal lifestyle factors on child neurodevelopment based on the Polish Mother and Child Cohort study. Material and methodsThe current analysis included 538 mother–child pairs. The following factors related to maternal lifestyle were considered: smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure (based on the cotinine level in maternal saliva measured using LC-ESI+MS/MS method), alcohol consumption and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in pregnancy, pre-pregnancy BMI, and folic acid supplementations before and during pregnancy based on questionnaire data. Psychomotor development was assessed in children at the ages of one and two by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. ResultsSignificant association was observed between prenatal exposure to tobacco constituents and a decreased child motor development in assessments performed at both ages (β=−0.8, p=0.01; β=−1.4, p<0.001). Maternal pre-pregnancy underweight was associated with decreased language abilities at 12months of age (β=−5.2, p=0.01) and cognitive and motor development at 24months of age, for which the associations were of borderline significance (p=0.06). The recommended level of LTPA during pregnancy was beneficial for child language development at two years of age (β=4.8, p=0.02). For alcohol and folic acid consumption there were no significant associations with any of the analyzed domains of child neurodevelopment. ConclusionsChildren prenatally exposed to tobacco compounds and those of underweight mothers had a decreased psychomotor development. The recommended level of LTPA during pregnancy had positive impact on child development. These results underscore the importance of policies and public health interventions promoting healthy lifestyle among women in reproductive age and during pregnancy.

Lipid changes throughout pregnancy according to pre-pregnancy BMI: results from a prospective cohort.

To evaluate the rate of change in serum lipids and the factors associated with their variations, stratifying for pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) categories. Prospective cohort. Public Health centre, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two hundred and twenty-five healthy pregnant women recruited between 2009 and 2011. Women were evaluated during the three trimesters of pregnancy (5th-13th, 20th-26th and 30th-36th gestational weeks). Pre-pregnancy BMI (kg/m²) was classified as normal weight (NW=18.5-24.9), overweight (OW=25.0-29.9) or obese (OB≥30.0). The independent variables included maternal socioeconomic, demographic, biochemical and lifestyle factors. We performed linear mixed-effects models adjusted for gestational age and body weight, reporting coefficient (β) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Longitudinal total cholesterol (TC),high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c), low-densitylipoprotein (LDL-c) and triglyceride (TG) measurements. OW and OB women presented higher mean TG, TC and LDL-c compared with their NW counterparts (P<0.05). The mean HDL-c concentrations were higher in NW than in OB women (P=0.03). OW and OB women presented lower serum TC (βOW =-0.014; 95% CI=-0.026 to -0.002; P=0.022; βOB =-0.015; 95% CI -0.015 to 0.001; P=0.066) and LDL-c (βOW =-0.012; 95% CI=-0.021 to -0.002; P=0.017; βOB =-0.018; 95% CI=-0.031 to -0.005; P=0.005) rates of change (mmol/l per gestational week) compared with the NW. Pre-gestational BMI was the main factor associated with the rate of changes in TC and LDL-c concentrations. Pre-pregnancy BMI was the main factor associated with the rate of change in TC and LDL-c throughout pregnancy, and OW and OB women presented lower rates of change compared with NW controls.

Lifestyle, pregnancy and epigenetic effects.

Rapidly growing evidences link maternal lifestyle and prenatal factors with serious health consequences and diseases later in life. Extensive epidemiological studies have identified a number of factors such as diet, stress, gestational diabetes, exposure to tobacco and alcohol during gestation as influencing normal fetal development. In light of recent discoveries, epigenetic mechanisms such as alteration of DNA methylation, chromatin modifications and modulation of gene expression during gestation are believed to possibly account for various types of plasticity such as neural tube defects, autism spectrum disorder, congenital heart defects, oral clefts, allergies and cancer. The purpose of this article is to review a number of published studies to fill the gap in our understanding of how maternal lifestyle and intrauterine environment influence molecular modifications in the offspring, with an emphasis on epigenetic alterations. To support these associations, we highlighted laboratory studies of rodents and epidemiological studies of human based on sampling population cohorts.

Does fetal smoke exposure affect childhood bone mass? The Generation R Study

We assessed the intrauterine influence of maternal smoking on childhood bone mass by comparing parental prenatal and postnatal smoking habits. We observed higher bone mass in children exposed to maternal smoking, explained by higher body weight. Maternal smoking or related lifestyle factors may affect childhood weight gain rather than skeletal growth. Maternal smoking during pregnancy may adversely affect bone health in later life. By comparing the associations of maternal and paternal smoking and of prenatal and postnatal exposure with childhood bone measures, we aimed to explore whether the suggested association could be explained by fetal programming or reflects confounding by familial factors. In 5565 mothers, fathers and children participating in a population-based prospective cohort study, parental smoking habits during pregnancy and current household smoking habits were assessed by postal questionnaires. Total body bone mineral content (BMC), bone area (BA) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the median age of 6.0 years (IQR 0.37). In confounder-adjusted models, maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a higher BMC of 11.6 g (95 % confidence interval (CI) 5.6, 17.5), a larger BA of 9.7 cm(2) (95 % CI 3.0, 16.4), a higher BMD of 6.7 g/cm(2) (95 % CI 2.4, 11.0) and a higher BMC of 5.4 g (95 % CI 1.3, 9.6) adjusted for BA of the child. Current weight turned out to mediate these associations. Among mothers who did not smoke, paternal smoking did not show evident associations with childhood bone measures. Also, household smoking practices during childhood were not associated with childhood bone measures. Our results do not support the hypothesis of fetal smoke exposure affecting childhood bone mass via intrauterine mechanisms. Maternal smoking or related lifestyle factors may affect childhood weight gain rather than skeletal growth.

Maternal lifestyle factors in pregnancy and congenital heart defects in offspring: review of the current evidence.

The prognosis of children with congenital heart defects(CHDs) continues to improve with advancing surgical techniques; however, lack of information about modifiable risk factors for malformations in cardiovascular development impeded the prevention of CHDs. We investigated an association between maternal lifestyle factors and the risk of CHDs, because epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results regarding maternal lifestyle factors and the risk of CHDs recently. A review published on 2007 provided a summary of maternal exposures associated with an increased risk of CHDs. As part of noninherited risk factors, we conducted a brief overview of studies on the evidence linking common maternal lifestyle factors, specifically smoking, alcohol, illicit drugs, caffeine, body mass index and psychological factors to the development of CHDs in offspring. Women who smoke and have an excessive body mass index(BMI) during pregnancy are suspected to be associated with CHDs in offspring. Our findings could cause public health policy makers to pay more attention to women at risk and could be used in the development of population-based prevention strategies to reduce the incidence and burden of CHDs. However, more prospective studies are needed to investigate the association between maternal lifestyle factors and CHDs.

Maternal stress, nutrition and physical activity: Impact on immune function, CNS development and psychopathology

Evidence suggests that maternal and fetal immune dysfunction may impact fetal brain development and could play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders, although the definitive pathophysiological mechanisms are still not completely understood. Stress, malnutrition and physical inactivity are three maternal behavioral lifestyle factors that can influence immune and central nervous system (CNS) functions in both the mother and fetus, and may therefore, increase risk for neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders. First, we will briefly review some aspects of maternal-fetal immune system interactions and development of immune tolerance. Second, we will discuss the bidirectional communication between the immune system and CNS and the pathways by which immune dysfunction could contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders. Third, we will discuss the effects of prenatal stress and malnutrition (over and undernutrition) on perinatal programming of the CNS and immune system, and how this might influence neurodevelopment. Finally, we will discuss the beneficial impact of physical fitness during pregnancy on the maternal-fetal unit and infant and how regular physical activity and exercise can be an effective buffer against stress- and inflammatory-related disorders. Although regular physical activity has been shown to promote neuroplasticity and an anti-inflammatory state in the adult, there is a paucity of studies evaluating its impact on CNS and immune function during pregnancy. Implementing stress reduction, proper nutrition and ample physical activity during pregnancy and the childbearing period may be an efficient strategy to counteract the impact of maternal stress and malnutrition/obesity on the developing fetus. Such behavioral interventions could have an impact on early development of the CNS and immune system and contribute to the prevention of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Further research is needed to elucidate this relationship and the underlying mechanisms of protection.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroimmunology in Health And Disease.

Maternal low glycaemic index diet, fat intake and postprandial glucose influences neonatal adiposity--secondary analysis from the ROLO study.

BackgroundThe in utero environment is known to affect fetal development however many of the mechanisms by which this occurs remain unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal dietary macronutrient intake and lifestyle throughout pregnancy and neonatal weight and adiposity.MethodsThis was an analysis of 542 mother and infant pairs from the ROLO study (Randomised cOntrol trial of LOw glycaemic index diet versus no dietary intervention to prevent recurrence of fetal macrosomia). Food diaries as well as food frequency and lifestyle and physical activity questionnaires were completed during pregnancy. Maternal anthropometry was measured throughout pregnancy and neonatal anthropometry was measured at birth.ResultsMultiple linear regression analysis revealed the main maternal factor associated with increased birth weight was greater gestational weight gain R2adj23.3% (F = 11.547, p < 0.001). The main maternal factor associated with increased birth length was non-smoking status R2adj27.8% (F = 6.193, p < 0.001). Neonatal central adiposity (determined using waist:length ratio) was negatively associated with maternal age, and positively associated with the following parameters: smoking status, maternal pre-pregnancy arm circumference, percentage energy from saturated fat in late pregnancy, postprandial glucose at 28 weeks gestation and membership of the control group with a positive trend towards association with trimester 2 glycaemic load R2adj 38.1% (F = 8.000, p < 0.001).ConclusionsSeveral maternal diet and lifestyle factors were associated with neonatal anthropometry . Low glycaemic index dietary intervention in pregnancy was found to have a beneficial effect on neonatal central adiposity. Additionally, central adiposity was positively associated with maternal dietary fat intake and postprandial glucose highlighting the important role of healthy diet in pregnancy in promoting normal neonatal adiposity.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN54392969.