Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Habits during Pregnancy: Is There an Association with Small for Gestational Age Infants? An Italian Single Centre Experience
Open Access
- 5 June 2021
- Vol. 13 (6), 1941
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061941
Abstract
Background. The small-for-gestational-age (SGA) in infants is related to an increased risk of developing Non-Communicable Diseases later in life. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is related to lower odds of being SGA. The study explored retrospectively the association between SGA, maternal MD adherence, lifestyle habits and other SGA risk factors during pregnancy. Methods. One hundred women (16–44 years) with a pregnancy at term were enrolled. Demographic data, parity, pre-gestational BMI, gestational weight gain, pregnancy-related diseases, and type of delivery were collected. The MD adherence (MEDI-LITE score ≥ 9), physical activity level, and smoking/alcohol consumption were registered. SGA neonates were diagnosed according to the neonatal growth curves. Results. Women were divided into “SGA group” vs. “non-SGA group”. The MD was adopted by 71% of women and its adherence was higher in the “non-SGA group” (p = 0.02). The prevalence of pregnancy-related diseases (gestational diabetes/pregnancy-induced hypertension) was higher in the “SGA group” (p = 0.01). The logistic regression showed that pregnancy-related diseases were the only independent risk factor for SGA. Conclusions. MD may indirectly reduce the risk of SGA since it prevents and exerts a positive effect on pregnancy-related diseases (e.g., gestational diabetes and hypertension). The small sample size of women in the SGA group of the study imposes a major limitation to the results and conclusions of this research, suggesting however that it is worthy of further investigation.This publication has 32 references indexed in Scilit:
- Epigenetic effects of the pregnancy Mediterranean diet adherence on the offspring metabolic syndrome markersJournal of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2017
- Effects of antenatal diet and physical activity on maternal and fetal outcomes: individual patient data meta-analysis and health economic evaluationHealth Technology Assessment, 2017
- Higher adherence to Mediterranean diet prior to pregnancy is associated with decreased risk for deviation from the maternal recommended gestational weight gainInternational Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2017
- Validation of a literature-based adherence score to Mediterranean diet: the MEDI-LITE scoreInternational Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2017
- Nutrition in the First 1000 Days: The Origin of Childhood ObesityInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016
- Prepregnancy dietary patterns and risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s HealthThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015
- Effect of a Mediterranean Diet during Pregnancy on Fetal Growth and Preterm Delivery: Results From a French Caribbean Mother–Child Cohort Study (TIMOUN)Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 2014
- Nutrition knowledge and other determinants of food intake and lifestyle habits in children and young adolescents living in a rural area of Sicily, South ItalyPublic Health Nutrition, 2012
- Effect of dietary factors in pregnancy on risk of pregnancy complications: results from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort StudyThe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011
- International Physical Activity Questionnaire: 12-Country Reliability and ValidityMedicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2003