Pre-gestational Nutritional Status Research Articles

The Effects of Pregestational Overweight and Obesity on Maternal Lipidome in Pregnancy: Implications for Newborns' Characteristics.

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of pregestational overweight and obesity on maternal lipidome during pregnancy and on newborns' characteristics. The study encompassed 131 pregnant women, 99 with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 and 32 with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Maternal lipid status parameters, plasma markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption and sphingolipids were determined in each trimester. Data on neonatal height, weight and APGAR scores were assessed. The results showed a higher prevalence (p < 0.05) of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the participants with elevated pregestational BMI. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) were significantly lower, and concentrations of triglycerides were higher (p < 0.05) in women with increased pre-gestational BMI. Lower concentrations of the cholesterol synthesis marker, desmosterol, in the 2nd trimester (p < 0.01) and the cholesterol absorption marker, campesterol, in each trimester (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) were also found in this group. Markers of maternal cholesterol synthesis were in positive correlation with neonatal APGAR scores in the group of mothers with healthy pre-pregnancy weight but in negative correlation in the overweight/obese group. Our results indicate that gestational adaptations of maternal lipidome depend on her pregestational nutritional status and that such changes may affect neonatal outcomes.

The Effects of Pregestational Overweight and Obesity on Maternal Lipidome in Pregnancy: Implications for Newborns’ Characteristics

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of pregestational overweight and obesity on maternal lipidome during pregnancy and on newborns’ characteristics. The study encompassed 131 pregnant women, 99 with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) &lt; 25 kg/m2 and 32 with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Maternal lipid status parameters, plasma markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption and sphingolipids were determined in each trimester. Data on neonatal height, weight and APGAR scores were assessed. The results showed a higher prevalence (p &lt; 0.05) of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the participants with elevated pregestational BMI. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (p &lt; 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p &lt; 0.01) were significantly lower, and concentrations of triglycerides were higher (p &lt; 0.05) in women with increased pre-gestational BMI. Lower concentrations of the cholesterol synthesis marker, desmosterol, in the 2nd trimester (p &lt; 0.01) and the cholesterol absorption marker, campesterol, in each trimester (p &lt; 0.01, p &lt; 0.05, p &lt; 0.01, respectively) were also found in this group. Markers of maternal cholesterol synthesis were in positive correlation with neonatal APGAR scores in the group of mothers with healthy pre-pregnancy weight but in negative correlation in the overweight/obese group. Our results indicate that gestational adaptations of maternal lipidome depend on her pregestational nutritional status and that such changes may affect neonatal outcomes.

The influence of pre-gestational nutritional status on mother-newborn pair outcomes

Introduction: Abnormal pregestational and gestational maternal nutritional status is an undeniable health problem which can result in gestational changes and interfere in fetal and maternal health conditions. Objective: To analyze the influence of pre-pregnancy nutritional status on mother-newborn pair outcomes. Methods: This is an observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study carried out in a public Maternity Hospital in Joinville, SC, Brazil. A total of 1,670 puerperal women were interviewed and classified according to BMI. The outcomes evaluated were: cesarean delivery, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Pregnancy-induced Hypertension, small for Gestational age newborns, large for gestational age newborns, premature birth, low weight at birth and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Low-weight pregnant women had a higher risk of cesarian delivery. Overweight and obese patients had a greater chance of GDM, with the odds ranging from 1.5 to 7.2 times, and PIH with the odds ranging from 1.7 to 4.6 times. Conclusion: Low-weight pregnant women have a higher chance of cesarian delivery. Meanwhile, overweight and all classes of obesity in pregnancy progressively increase the risk of GDM and PIH.

Associação entre o consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados e imagem corporal, estado nutricional e atividade física de gestantes na Atenção Primária à Saúde

Abstract Objectives: to analyze the consumption of ultra-processed food and its association with body image, physical activity, nutritional status and self-assessment on food of pregnant women enrolled in the Primary Health Care. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study carried out with pregnant women enrolled in the Family Health Strategy in the city of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. Data were collected through a questionnaire. The dependent variable was the consumption of ultra-processed food, and the independent ones addressed body appearance, physical activity, nutritional status, self-assessment on food and food consumption. Descriptive analysis was carried out and for association of analysis, the linear regression model was used with crude and adjusted associations. Results: 1,185 pregnant women participated in the study. Caloric intake from ultra-processed food represented 32.0% of these women’s daily diet. There was an association between consumption of ultra-processed food and physical activity (β=-0.08; p&lt;0.01), pre-gestional nutritional status (β=-0,12; p&lt;0.01) and body image (β =0.08; p=0.01). Conclusion: the pregnant women presented high consumption of ultra-processed food. Having a negative body image, the lowest level of physical activity, and high pre-gestational nutritional status are conditions that influenced the consumption of these food.

What Are the Maternal Factors that Potentially Intervenes in the Nutritional Composition of Human Milk?

Background: To evaluate the potential factors associated with the nutritional composition of human milk of puerperal women. Methods: cross-sectional study, conducted between March 2016 and August 2017, with 107 women, selected in a Tertiary Health Care Tertiary Health Facility of the Unified Health System (SUS) in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected two months after delivery. The dependent variable of the study was the nutritional composition of human milk. We divided the independent variables into hierarchical levels: distal (age, schooling, parity and pregestational nutritional status), intermediate (number of prenatal visits and gestational weight gain) and proximal (alcohol consumption, smoking, diabetes mellitus and hypertension). For data analysis, we applied the multiple linear regression, centered on the hierarchical model. Only the variables associated with the nutritional composition of breast milk remained in the final model at a 5% level of significance. Results: The nutritional composition of human milk yielded by women with pregestational overweight, smokers and hypertensive had higher amounts of lipids and energy. Conversely, women with gestational weight gain below the recommended had lower amounts of these components. Conclusion: The evaluation of factors associated with the nutritional composition of human milk is extremely important to assist post-partum care practices. In this study, we observed that lipid and energy contents were associated to pregestational nutritional status, gestational weight gain, smoking and hypertension.

Ganho de peso na gestação, segundo estado nutricional prévio e idade de puérperas atendidas na maternidade de um hospital público de Macaé, Rio de Janeiro

Introdução: A gestação é uma etapa fisiológica que requer acompanhamento de saúde adequado, com vistas ao desfecho positivo para mãe e bebê. Dentre outros cuidados previstos no acompanhamento pré-natal, o ganho de peso é parâmetro a ser monitorado sistematicamente, diante de sua relevância para a saúde materno-infantil e da relação entre ganho de peso inadequado e intercorrências na saúde. Objetivo: Descrever o perfil de ganho de peso gestacional de puérperas assistidas em uma maternidade pública, segundo estado nutricional prévio e idade materna. Método: Estudo epidemiológico transversal descritivo, de base primária (prontuário hospitalar) e secundária (entrevista), realizado em 2014, com amostra de 113 mulheres de 20 a 40 anos com até 48h pós-parto. O estado nutricional pré-gestacional foi avaliado por meio do Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) e a avaliação da adequação do ganho de peso gestacional considerou as recomendações do Institute Of Medicine (IOM). Resultado: 73,5% tinham idade entre 20-29 anos; 69,9% realizaram seis ou mais consultas de pré-natal e 42,2% tinham excesso de peso (sobrepeso ou obesidade) prévio à gestação. O estado nutricional pré-gestacional, segundo idade, revelou que 35,5%(n=79) daquelas entre 20-29 anos e 60%(n=30) das entre 30-40 anos apresentavam excesso de peso prévio. Houve associação significativa (p&lt;0,01) entre as variáveis “ganho de peso gestacional” e “estado nutricional prévio”. Dentre as que tiveram ganho de peso excessivo, 73,1% tinham excesso de peso prévio. Conclusão: Parte expressiva das puérperas já possuía excesso de peso e teve ganho ponderal excessivo na gestação, sobretudo as mais velhas. Sugerem-se a idade materna e o estado nutricional prévio como fatores determinantes do ganho de peso e recomendam-se maior capilaridade e cobertura do acompanhamento nutricional pré-natal no sistema público de saúde como possibilidade de enfrentamento do ganho de peso excessivo, que contribui para o agravamento da epidemia de obesidade no Brasil.

Nutrition and Metabolic Adaptations in Physiological and Complicated Pregnancy: Focus on Obesity and Gestational Diabetes.

Pregnancy offers a window of opportunity to program the future health of both mothers and offspring. During gestation, women experience a series of physical and metabolic modifications and adaptations, which aim to protect the fetus development and are closely related to both pre-gestational nutritional status and gestational weight gain. Moreover, pre-gestational obesity represents a challenge of treatment, and nowadays there are new evidence as regard its management, especially the adequate weight gain. Recent evidence has highlighted the determinant role of nutritional status and maternal diet on both pregnancy outcomes and long-term risk of chronic diseases, through a transgenerational flow, conceptualized by the Development Origin of Health and Diseases (Dohad) theory. In this review we will analyse the physiological and endocrine adaptation in pregnancy, and the metabolic complications, thus the focal points for nutritional and therapeutic strategies that we must early implement, virtually before conception, to safeguard the health of both mother and progeny. We will summarize the current nutritional recommendations and the use of nutraceuticals in pregnancy, with a focus on the management of pregnancy complicated by obesity and hyperglycemia, assessing the most recent evidence about the effects of ante-natal nutrition on the long-term, on either maternal health or metabolic risk of the offspring.

The role of obesity and gestational diabetes on placental size and fetal oxygenation

IntroductionMaternal pregestational obesity is a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as gestational diabetes. Both these conditions can have an impact on placental development and affect maternal-fetal exchanges, compromising fetal metabolic status. The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of pre-pregnancy BMI on placental size and to evaluate the role of obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on fetal oxygenation in overweight and obese pregnant women. Methods208 normal weight (NW), 57 overweight (OW) and 69 obese (OB) women were studied at elective cesarean section (CS) at term. 10 OW and 24 OB women were affected by GDM. Maternal, fetal and placental data were collected. Respiratory gases and acid-base balance were measured in umbilical venous and arterial blood. ResultsPlacental weight and thickness were higher in OB pregnancies. Lower fetal-placental ratios (F/P) were found in GDM pregnancies, both OW and OB. Fetuses from OB mothers were more hypoxic and acidemic compared to NW, particularly when complicated by GDM. DiscussionIn agreement with previous studies, our data show that placentas from OB and GDM pregnancies are heavier and thicker, suggesting that an unbalanced pregestational nutritional status can decrease the placental efficiency in maternal-fetal exchanges. Fetuses from obese women are also hypoxic and acidemic, while fetuses from gestational diabetic mothers are hypoxic, reflecting that an altered pre-pregnancy BMI can affect fetal oxygenation, and GDM can play an additional detrimental role, thus worsening placental function and fetal oxygenation.

Influência da idade, estado nutricional e ingestão dietética na saúde materna

Objetivo: Identificar a influência da idade, estado nutricional e ingestão dietética na saúde materna. Metodologia: Estudo transversal, quantitativo, com amostra de 467 gestantes provenientes de dados secundários de uma Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS) e de um Ambulatório de Gestantes de Alto Risco (AGAR). Foram comparadas médias de faixa etária, estado nutricional pré-gestacional, ganho de peso na gestação e consumo alimentar entre as gestantes, bem como entre as diferentes faixas etárias: &lt; 19, entre 20 e 34 e &gt; 35 anos com análise estatística realizada pelo software SPSS, versão 22.0, com nível de significância de 5% (p≤0,05). Resultados: As gestantes do AGAR apresentaram maior idade, peso pré-gestacional, IMC e ganho de peso e menor número de refeições, consumo de energia, lipídeos e proteínas em relação às gestantes da UBS. Conclusão: Conclui-se que idade acima de 35 anos, sobrepeso/obesidade, ganho de peso gestacional excessivo e ingestão dietética insuficiente foram relacionados com gestantes de alto risco gestacional.

Pregestational overweight and obesity and symptoms of postpartum depression: Data from the Birth in Brazil Study

Relationship between pregestational overweight and obesity and symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) has been documented in developed countries. In middle and low-income countries the studies are scarce and the pattern of findings is more mixed. Our objective is to assess the effect of pregestational overweight and obesity on development symptoms of PPD in a nationwide Brazilian study. The study included 23,894 puerperal women, from 2011 to 2012. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was applied from 6 to 18 months postpartum, with ≥13 points as the cutoff. Classification of pregestational nutritional status followed the method recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Confounding variables were identified using directed acyclic graph (DAG), and propensity score estimated the effect of nutritional status on PPD symptoms. Prevalence of PPD was 26.3%. Women with excess weight represented nearly 32% of the sample. In the crude analysis, women with pregestational obesity showed 23% higher odds of developing symptoms of PPD when compared to those with normal weight (OR=1.23 CI 95% 1.04-1.45). There was a loss of statistical significance after propensity score analysis (OR=1.14 CI 95% 0.91-1.42). The symptoms of PPD were measured in a single moment, and sensitivity analysis revealed the existence of omitted or non-measured variables potentially modifying these estimates. Although we did not find a relationship between pregestational nutritional status and depressive symptoms, the results are important because of the problem's magnitude. Future studies should aim at a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between the variables.

Relação da qualidade de vida com dados sociodemográficos e nutricionais de gestantes e puérperas

Objetivo: Investigar a percepção da qualidade de vida de gestantes e puérperas e sua relação com dados sociodemográficos e nutricionais. Métodos: Estudo descritivo e transversal, de abordagem quantitativa, realizado em uma Estratégia de Saúde da Família do município de Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul, no período de junho a setembro de 2019, com 57 gestantes e puérperas, submetidas a um questionário estruturado contendo dados sociodemográficos e clínicos e ao questionário WHOQOL-BREF. Avaliou-se o estado nutricional pré-gestacional e o ganho de peso para a idade gestacional, sendo os resultados considerados significativos a um nível de significância de 5% (p≤0,05). Resultados: 41 gestantes e puérperas consideraram sua qualidade de vida “boa” (72%), 43 estavam “satisfeitas” ou “muito satisfeitas” com a sua saúde (75,4%) e 32 apresentavam-se eutróficas (56,1%). Verificou-se correlação inversa da avaliação da qualidade de vida com a idade (p≤0,01) e o índice de massa corporal pré-gestacional esteve inversamente relacionado com a satisfação com a saúde (p≤0,01) das gestantes e puérperas. As mulheres eutróficas apresentaram-se significativamente associadas à percepção de “muito satisfeita” em relação a sua saúde e aquelas com sobrepeso, à percepção de “insatisfeita” com a sua saúde (p≤0,01). Conclusão: A avaliação da percepção da qualidade de vida associou-se inversamente à idade, assim como a percepção da satisfação com a saúde associou-se inversamente ao índice de massa corporal pré gestacional das gestantes e puérperas investigadas.

Nutritional status and dietary intake of pregnant women.

To evaluate weight gain during pregnancy according to the pregestational state in women who underwent prenatal care in Primary Health Care. A cross-sectional study with the participation of 255 pregnant women. Socioeconomic and demographic variables were collected using a structured questionnaire. Women were evaluated for nutritional status and dietary intake. Data related to the age of the pregnant woman, gestational week, current weight, pregestational weight, and height were obtained from the prenatal follow-up form. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for statistical analysis. Pregestational nutritional status assessment showed that 43.2% (n=110) of the women started gestation with overweight and 4.3% (n=11) started with low weight. 51% percent (n=130) gained gestational weight above the recommended level. The mean age of women with pregestational BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was significantly higher than that of those with BMI <25 kg/rrP (p<0.001). Total energy (p=0.037) and calcium (p=0.004) intake were higher in women with weight gain above the recommended. The results presented highlight the importance of strategies in public health to avoid excess weight gain during pregnancy. Pregnant women presented a gestational weight gain above the recommended maximum value according to pregestational BMI, which may contribute to adverse maternal and infant outcomes.

Trends and predictors of gestational diabetes mellitus in Chile.

To examine the temporal trends in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) prevalence in Chile, and to determine the main predictors of GDM. A secondary analysis was conducted of all birth records at Hospital Dr. Sótero del Río, Chile, from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2015. We excluded those women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes, those with missing data, and those with unlikely data. GDM was defined as fasting glucose levels >5.55mmol/L [>100mg/dL] or >7.77mmol/L [>140mg/dL] 2hours after glucose load in the oral glucose tolerance test. Potential predictors were selected based on prior research and ease of evaluation. From the original database of 100758 records, 86362 women were included in the final cohort. The mean GDM prevalence was 7.6% (95% CI [confidence interval] 7.5%-7.8%), increasing from 4.4% (95% CI 4.0%-4.9%) in 2002 to 13.0% (95% CI 12.0%-13.9%) in 2015. Age, education, marital status, parity, family history of type 2 diabetes, personal history of GDM, hypertension and pre-eclampsia, alcohol consumption, smoking, and pre-gestational nutritional status performed well in the prediction of GDM. One out of eight Chilean pregnant women of medium- to low socio-economic status were found to develop GDM. We identified a set of easy-to-capture predictors in the primary health care system that may allow for the early identification of women at high-risk for the development of GDM.

Anemia at the first prenatal visit in a health center in Lima, Peru, and its relationship with the pregestational nutritional status

Objective: To determine the frequency of anemia in pregnant women and its relationship with the pregestational nutritional status. Materials and methods: A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study was carried out in the Obstetrics and Nutrition Department of the Centro de Salud de Surco between July 1, 2015 and July 31, 2016. Four hundred fifty-five (455) maternal perinatal medical records (HCMP) from the Obstetrics Department of the Centro de Salud de Surco were reviewed, out of which 93 met the inclusion criteria and were selected. Descriptive statistics was used. Results: Eleven point eight percent (11.8 %) of the pregnant women presented anemia. The average hemoglobin level in the aforementioned women was 12.2 ± 1.06 g/dl. Fifty-eight point five percent (58.5 %) had a normal pregestational body mass index (BMI) and the highest frequency of anemia (10.7 %). It was observed that cases of anemia were more frequent in the first two quarters of pregnancy, reaching on average 4.8 %, and decreased in the third quarter (2.2 %). Conclusions: The highest frequency of anemia in pregnant women occurred in the normal pregestational BMI group. Hemoglobin levels decrease according to the age of the mother and increase according to the gestational age.

Relationship between pregestational nutritional status and type of processing of foods consumed by high-risk pregnant women

Abstract Objectives: to relate pregestational nutritional status, maternal age and number of pregnancies to the distribution of macronutrients and micronutrients according to the type of processing offoods consumed by high-risk pregnant women. Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out with data from medical records of 200 pregnant women served by a public outpatient clinic in Rio Grande do Sul from 2014 to 2016. Results: the mean percentages of lipids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and sodium intake were higher among ultra-processed foods. There was a significant inverse correlation between maternal age and total calorie intake (p=0.003) and percentage of carbohydrates (p=0.005) and proteins (p=0.037) from ultra-processed foods. There was also a significant association between pregestational nutritional status and total calorie intake (p=0.018) and percentage of carbohydrates (p=0.048) from ultra-processed foods. Conclusions: the mean percentages of lipids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and sodium intake were higher among ultra-processed foods. It was observed that the older the maternal age of high-risk pregnant women, the lower the intake of total calories and percentages of carbohydrates and proteins from ultra-processed foods. It was also observed that pregestational nutritional status was significantly associated with the intake of total calories and percentage of carbohydrates from ultra-processed foods.

Pre-gestational excessive weight and duration of breast-feeding.

To investigate whether pre-gestational obesity interferes with the duration of breast-feeding. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based probabilistic sample. The dependent variables were exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) and breast-feeding (BF), as defined by the WHO. The classification of pre-gestational nutritional status was based on the pre-gestational BMI category. A sample of 418 mother-infant pairs from the state of Alagoas, Brazil. The median duration of EBF was 1·9 months (60d), while that of BF was 8·2 months (250d). According to multiple linear regression analysis, the factors that negatively and independently affected the duration of EBF were pre-gestational BMI≥30·0 kg/m2 (-51·9d, 95 % CI -80·4, -23·4), maternal schooling≤9 years (-30·8d, 95 % CI -54·7, -6·9), no prior lactation experience (-29·0d, 95 % CI -45·6, -11·5) and infant pacifier use (-41·4d; 95 % CI 54·5, -28·2). For BF, a higher weaning rate was observed during the first days after birth among children of pre-gestational obese mothers. The results suggest that higher pre-gestational BMI is associated with shorter duration of EBF and BF. Prenatal care provides a privileged opportunity to promote nutritional education, better nutritional status of pregnant woman, and greater success with EBF up to 6 months of age and with longer BF.

Serum Retinol Levels in Pregnant Adolescents and Their Relationship with Habitual Food Intake, Infection and Obstetric, Nutritional and Socioeconomic Variables.

Globally, vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects about 19.1 million pregnant women. Its occurrence is classically associated with inadequate food intake and may also be associated with socioeconomic factors and the presence of infection. The aim of this study was to determine the factors related to serum retinol levels among pregnant teenagers. The sample consisted of 89 pregnant adolescents, from whom socioeconomic, obstetric, anthropometric, and food consumption data were collected. Serum concentrations of retinol and the supposed presence of infection were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and C-reactive protein quantification, respectively. The serum retinol concentrations were classified according to the criteria of the World Health Organization. We adopted a 5% significance level for all statistical tests. Serum retinol levels were significantly and positively associated with sanitation (p = 0.008) and pre-gestational nutritional status (p = 0.002), and negatively with the trimester (p = 0.001). The appropriate sanitation conditions and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) were shown to have a protective effect against VAD. Conversely, serum retinol levels were reduced with trimester progression, favoring VAD occurrence.

Estado Nutricional en la Gestación: Estudio preliminar

Se ha realizado un estudio transversal con el fin de estimar la prevalencia instantánea de desnutrición en gestantes en una zona urbano-marginal de Lima. La muestra comprendió 61 gestantes y un grupo control de 75 mujeres mayores de 15 años, no gestantes, aparentemente sanas. Se halló una prevalencia de desnutrición calórico-proteica en gestantes de 29.6%, utilizando el criterio de porcentaje de peso/talla para la edad gestacional según el nomograma de Rosso, y una prevalencia de 26.7% en no gestantes, siendo esta diferencia estadísticamente no significativa. Se reporta además una proporción de gestantes menores de 20 años de 11.5% y que el 49.2% de las gestantes tenían por lo menos un control prenatal. Se concluye que la prevalencia de desnutrición en gestantes es alta y estaría relacionada fundamentalmente al estado nutricional pre-gestacional.

The role of prenatal nutrition assistance on the prevalence of night blindness in pregnant adults.

In developing countries, night blindness is a very common public health problem among pregnant women. Evaluate the effect of the changes occurred on prenatal care concerning prenatal nutritional care on the occurrence of night blindness (XN) in adult pregnant women in public maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro between 1999-2001 and between 2007-2008. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted, been the first one conducted between 1999-2001 and the second one between 2007-2008. Were studied 402 puerperal women, 225 between 1999-2001 (GI) and 177 between 2007-2008 (GII). The gestational XN was investigated during the immediate puerperium (GI) and during the prenatal/puerperium (GII), diagnosed by the World Health Organization. The study collected sociodemographic, clinical, obstetric, anthropometric and prenatal care information. It verified significant reduce of prevalence of gestational XN (GI = 18.7% e GII = 0.6%, p < 0.001). The occurrence of gestational XN was associated to sanitary conditions, education level, more than six prenatal consultations, miscarriage at last pregnancy, higher average number of deliveries, average number of prenatal care consultations and prenatal nutritional (p < 0.05). There was no association between gestational XN and marital status, skin color, pre-gestational nutritional status, adequacy of gain of total gestational weight, gestational anaemia and average number of pregnancies (p > 0.05). The inclusion of nutritional care in routine prenatal care may have contributed to the reduction of gestational XN. Studies to assess the nutritional intervention in the prevention and treatment of gestational XN at regions at greatest risk are suggested.

Níveis de alfa-tocoferol no soro e colostro de lactantes e associação com variáveis maternas

To determine the nutritional status of vitamin E in breastfeeding women through the analysis of alpha-tocopherol concentration in serum and colostrum, to analyze its relation with maternal variables and to determine the prevalence of vitamin E deficiency in these women. The study included 103 mothers who were classified according to maternal variables: age, nutritional status before pregnancy, gestational weight gain, parity and mode of delivery. Colostrum and serum samples were collected under fasting conditions in the immediate postpartum period. Alpha-tocopherol was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A serum cutoff of 697.7 μg/dL was adopted to define the nutritional status of vitamin E. Statistical analysis was performed with the Student's t test for independent samples and Pearson's correlation. Differences were significant when p<0.05. The average concentration of alpha-tocopherol was 1.125±551.0 μg/dL in colostrum and 1,138.6±346.0 μg/dL in serum, indicating adequate biochemical nutritional status. However, when analyzing the mothers individually, a 16% rate of subclinical vitamin E deficiency was detected. Women undergoing cesarean delivery had significantly higher alpha-tocopherol levels in colostrum (1.280±591 μg/dL) compared with those undergoing normal delivery (961.7±370 μg/dL) (p<0.05). It was found that mothers who were overweight before pregnancy had higher vitamin concentration in colostrum (1,331.5±548 μg/dL) when compared to underweight women (982.1±374 μg/dL) or women of normal weight (992.3±346 μg/dL) (p<0.05). However, the other variables were not associated with alpha-tocopherol in colostrum. Moreover, no variable showed association with vitamin E levels in maternal serum and no correlation was demonstrated between the alpha-tocopherol levels in serum and in milk. Despite the diagnosis of satisfactory nutritional status, breastfeeding women showed significant risk of subclinical vitamin E deficiency. We suggest that the concentration of alpha-tocopherol in colostrum be associated with type of delivery and pre-gestational nutritional status of women.