Influence of Prenatal Nutrition and Supplementation on Birth Outcomes and Negative Affectivity in Infants
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Date
2021
Authors
Volk, Hailey
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Excessive inflammation during pregnancy can exert powerful effects on the developing fetus by altering embryonic, fetal, and placental growth and development, predisposing the fetus to adverse birth outcomes and long-term health complications. An anti-inflammatory diet and proper prenatal supplementation could be a promising avenue to combat the inflammatory state pregnancy induces, particularly in obese women. However, there is a lack of data linking maternal environmental mediators of inflammation, such as diet, to birth outcomes and behavior in offspring. We examined the association among prenatal nutrition during the 22nd and 37th week of gestation and birth outcomes, as well as negative affect in infants 1 month after birth, in a cohort of 55 mother-child pairs. We found pro-inflammatory diets in the 3rd trimester and throughout the duration of participants pregnancy, as measured by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), were associated with higher APGAR scores at 5-minutes. Maternal under-supplementation of DHA and EPA and increased iodine supplementation during the 2nd trimester was associated with higher APGAR scores at 5 minutes, while increased iodine supplementation in the 3rd trimester was associated with lower APGAR scores at 5 minutes. Further, increased folic acid supplementation in the 3rd trimester was associated with higher levels of infant negative affectivity 1-month post-partum. This data will add to the broader literature surrounding prenatal diet and birth outcomes and expand it by including supplemental and post-natal behavioral considerations.
Description
71 pages
Keywords
Nutrition, Obstetrics, Developmental psychology, Supplementation, Inflammation