Healthy prenatal diet may reduce abnormal patterns of infant growth: JAMA
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that a nutritious diet during pregnancy lowers the chance of either a sluggish or fast-growing baby. The strategies to avoid obesity may benefit from an understanding of the relationships between a baby's growth and the quality of the nutrition consumed during pregnancy. Monique Hedderson and team carried out this study to assess the relationships between the size of the newborn and the growth of the baby from birth to 24 months of age and the prenatal dietary quality.
The data from birthing parent-child dyads in 8 cohorts that took part in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program from 2007 to 2021 were utilized in this cohort analysis. The period of data analysis was March 2021 to August 2024. In terms of infant growth from birth to ages 6, 12, and 24 months, the results were classified as slow growth, within reference range, or rapid. Infant birth weight was classified as small for gestational age (SGA), reference range, or large for gestational age (LGA).
A total of 2854 birthing parent-child dyads were involved in the research. 225 Asian or Pacific Islander newborns (7.9%), 640 Black infants (22.4%), 1022 Hispanic infants (35.8%), 664 White infants (23.3%), and 224 infants (7.8%) of other races or several races were among the racially and ethnically varied members of the cohort.
The reduced risks of LGA, rapid growth through birth to age 6 months and age 24 months, and delayed growth from birth to age 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months were linked to a high HEI score (>80), which is a sign of a better diet. There was no correlation between SGA and high HEI.
The above chances of LGA and rapid infant growth from birth to age 12 months and lower odds of rapid growth to age 6 months were linked to a low EDIP score, which is suggestive of a less inflammatory diet. However, there was no correlation with SGA when compared to an EDIP score of 63.6 or above.
Overall, this research discovered that eating a healthier diet during pregnancy in accordance with current USDA guidelines was linked to having an infant with a lower risk of LGA and a higher chance of having a healthier growth trajectory during the first 2 years of life.
Source:
Hedderson, M. M., Schuh, H. B., Knapp, E. A., Bekelman, T. A., Catellier, D. J., Westlake, M., Lyall, K., Schmidt, R. J., Dunlop, A. L., Comstock, S. S., Chatzi, L., Sauder, K. A., Dabelea, D., Switkowski, K. M., Lin, P.-I. D., Avalos, L. A., Zhu, Y., Ferrara, A., … Smith, L. M. (2024). Prenatal Diet and Infant Growth From Birth to Age 24 Months. In JAMA Network Open (Vol. 7, Issue 11, p. e2445771). American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.45771
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