Mediterranean dietary pattern in pregnant women and offspring risk of overweight and abdominal obesity in early childhood: the INMA birth cohort study. Issue 6 (13th January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fernández‐Barrés, S.; Romaguera, D.; Valvi, D.; Martínez, D.; Vioque, J.; Navarrete‐Muñoz, E.M.; Amiano, P.; Gonzalez‐Palacios, S.; Guxens, M.; Pereda, E.; Riaño, I.; Tardón, A.; Iñiguez, C.; Arija, V.; Sunyer, J.; Vrijheid, M.
• Is Part Of: Pediatric obesity. Volume 11:Issue 6(2016:Dec.)
• Page Start: 491
• Page End: 499
• Publication Date: 2016-01-13
• Subjects: Abdominal obesity -- childhood obesity -- Mediterranean diet -- pregnancy; Obesity in children -- Periodicals; Obesity in adolescence -- Periodicals; Obesity -- Periodicals; Overweight children -- Periodicals; 618.92398
• DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12092
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-7174

Abstract

Summary: Background: Animal models have suggested that maternal diet quality may reduce offspring obesity risk regardless of maternal body weight; however, evidence from human studies is scarce. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) during pregnancy and childhood overweight and abdominal obesity risk at 4 years of age. Methods: We analysed 1827 mother–child pairs from the Spanish 'Infancia y Medio Ambiente' cohort study, recruited between 2003 and 2008. Diet was assessed during pregnancy using a food frequency questionnaire and MD adherence by the relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED). Overweight (including obesity) was defined as an age‐specific and sex‐specific body mass index ≥85th percentile (World Health Organization referent), and abdominal obesity as a waist circumference (WC) >90th percentile. Multivariate adjusted linear and logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between pregnancy rMED and offspring overweight and abdominal obesity. Result: There was no association between rMED and body mass index z ‐score, whereas there was a significant association between higher adherence to MD and lower WC ( β of high vs. low rMED: −0.62 cm; 95% confidence interval: −1.10, −0.14 cm, P for trend = 0.009). Conclusion: Pregnancy adherence to the MD was not associated with childhood overweight risk, but it was associated with lower WC, a marker of abdominal obesity.