Chen, L.W., Tint, M.T., Fortier, M.V., Aris, I.M., Bernard, J.Y., Colega, M., Gluckman, P., Saw, S-M., Chong, Y-P, Yap, F., Godfrey, K., Kramer, M.S., van Dam, R.M., Foong-Fong Chong, M. and Lee, Y.S. (2016) Maternal macronutrient intake during pregnancy is associated with neonatal abdominal adiposity: the Growing Up in Singapore Towards health Outcomes (GUSTO) study. Journal of Nutrition, 146 (8), 1571-1579. (doi:10.3945/?jn.116.230730). (PMID:27385763)
Abstract
Background: Infant body composition has been associated with later metabolic risk, but few studies have examined the association between maternal macronutrient intake and neonatal body composition. Furthermore, most of those studies have used proxy measures of body composition that may not reflect body fat distribution, particularly abdominal internal adiposity.
Objective: We investigated the relation between maternal macronutrient intake and neonatal abdominal adiposity measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a multi-ethnic Asian mother-offspring cohort.
Methods: Macronutrient intakes of mothers were ascertained using a 24-h dietary recall at 26-28 weeks gestation. Neonatal abdominal adiposity was assessed using MRI in the second week of life. Mother-offspring dyads with complete macronutrient intake and adiposity information (n= 320) were included in the analysis. Associations were assessed by both substitution and addition models using multivariable linear regressions.
Results: Mothers [mean age: 30 y; 44% Chinese, 38% Malay, 18% Indians] consumed 15.5 ± 4.3% (mean ± SD) of their energy intakes from protein, 32.4 ± 7.7% from fat, and 52.1 ± 9.0% from carbohydrate. A higher protein, lower carbohydrate/fat diet during pregnancy was associated with lower abdominal internal adipose tissue (IAT) in the neonates [? (95% CI): -0.18 (-0.35, -0.001) mL per 1% protein to carbohydrate substitution and -0.25 (-0.46, -0.04) mL per 1% protein to fat substitution]. These associations were stronger in boys than in girls (P-interactions <0.05). Higher maternal intake of animal protein [-0.26 (-0.47, -0.05) mL for fat substitution], but not plant protein, was associated with lower offspring IAT. In contrast, maternal macronutrient intake was not consistently associated with infant anthropometric measurements, including abdominal circumference and subscapular skinfold thickness.
Conclusions: Higher maternal protein intake (at the expense of carbohydrate or fat intake) at 26-28 wk of gestation was associated with lower abdominal internal adiposity in neonates. Optimizing maternal dietary balance might be a new approach to potentially improve offspring body composition.
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