NFS 3120

Preconception Dietary Patterns in Human Pregnancies Are Associated with Preterm

Delivery
The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a connection between maternal
preconception dietary patterns and preterm delivery, as well as fetal growth. This includes birth
weight and length, as well as earlier gestation and the health of the child in the future, short or
long term. The objective of this study is to figure out how to make birth outcomes the best they
can be based on preconception diet. Preterm delivery is important because it can be linked to
risk of respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. It is also linked to low body weight
which associates with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes later in life. These
illnesses can hopefully be prevented through better preconception maternal nutrition.
This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study. It is part of a larger prospective study on
the effects of asthma during pregnancy on the mother, placenta, and baby. There were three
types of diets identified. One is high-protein/fruit diet. This included fish, chicken, meat, fruits
and whole grains. The second diet was high-fat/sugar/takeout food. This included refined
grains, added sugar, and fast-food. The third diet was the vegetarian type diet. This included
vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
The subjects were women who were 18 years and older. In total, 309 women from
Adelaide, South Australia participated. The women were asked to participate in the study while
going to their first antenatal visit. This visit usually occurred at 13 weeks of gestation. At the
visit, the women took a diet questionnaire for data to be collected on their preconception diet.
The designers of the study looked at maternal weight, gestational age, birth weight, birth
length, head circumference, and BMI categories in a statistical fashion during this study. They
also considered maternal age and many other factors. These included smoking, maternal weight,
socioeconomics and ethnicity. All of these factors were taken into account when determining
associations
The research suggests that high-protein/fruit diet decreased the odds for preterm birth. It
also shows that high-fat/sugar/takeout diet increased the odds for preterm birth. This diet also
showed shorter gestation and birth length. The vegetarian-type diet did not show any specific
outcome that was significant.
In conclusion, preterm birth is not a good thing. Therefore, we want to decrease the odds
of having a preterm birth. This means we should implement healthier diets in women who plan
to have a child. If only, make them aware of the association between diet and preterm birth and
what that entails for their child. Also, inform women who are vegetarians or vegans on their
choice nutritionally. Make sure that they have planned accordingly to reach their nutrient
requirements for themselves, along with their child that they are carrying. Getting this
information out to the public will hopefully effect their diet habits positively even if they are
only fixing their diet for their child and not their overall health.
To discuss, the lack of information on the vegetarian type diet was a big weakness this
study had. The study did not provide information as to if they even have vegetarians
participating. Another point that could be improved is to have more subjects. More subjects in
any study is usually a good thing because it gives more data which further improves the accuracy
of the study. Lastly, they could have made each category of diet and how many people were a
part of each diet more specific. It did not tell us the number of subjects that were in each diet
group so we dont know the weight each group had on results.
 References
1. Grieger JA, Grzeskowiak LE, Clifton VL. Preconception Dietary Patterns in Human
Pregnancies Are Associated with Preterm Delivery. Journal of Nutrition.
2014;144(7):1075-1080.