Promoting Dietary Fiber Intake during preconception Key Strategy to Prevent Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: study

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy contribute significantly to health complications and mortality. Fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are known to provide numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health and better regulation of blood pressure. Takahiro Omoto, Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environmental and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan, and colleagues aimed to investigate whether preconception dietary fiber intake is associated with new-onset HDP.

For this purpose, they identified 84,873 (primipara, 33,712; multipara, 51,161) normotensive participants from the Japan Environmental Children’s Study database with deliveries between 2011 and 2014. Based on their preconception of dietary fiber intake quintiles, the participants were subsequently divided into five groups (Q1–Q5).

The primary obstetric outcome was hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, while secondary outcomes included early-onset HDP (occurring before 34 weeks), late-onset HDP (at or after 34 weeks), small for gestational age (SGA) births, and HDP with or without SGA.

The study led to the following findings:

• Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that in primiparas, the risks of HDP, Lo-HDP, and HDP without SGA were lower in the Q5 group compared with the Q3 group (HDP: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.73; Lo-HDP: aOR = 0.72; and HDP without SGA: aOR = 0.68).
• The risks of Eo-HDP and HDP with SGA were higher in the Q1 group compared with the Q3 group (Eo-HDP: aOR = 1.66; and HDP with SGA: aOR = 1.81).
• In multiparas, the risks of Lo-HDP and SGA were higher in the Q1 group compared with the Q3 group (Lo-HDP: aOR = 1.4; SGA: aOR = 1.17).

"The findings indicate that higher dietary fiber intake may help protect against hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, highlighting the importance of preconception care in prevention," the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Omoto, T., Kyozuka, H., Murata, T., Fukuda, T., Isogami, H., Okoshi, C., Yasuda, S., Yamaguchi, A., Sato, A., Ogata, Y., Shinoki, K., Hosoya, M., Yasumura, S., Hashimoto, K., Nishigori, H., & Fujimori, K. (2024). Association between preconception dietary fiber intake and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Pregnancy Hypertension, 37, 101139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preghy.2024.101139