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Session: Dietary Patterns and Health Outcomes (Oral 19)

(OR19-02-23) Higher Dietary Inflammatory Index Scores During Pregnancy Are Associated With Shorter Birth Length

Monday, July 24, 2023
2:12 PM – 2:24 PM ET
Location:  Constitution B
ECRAC
Objectives: Dietary inflammation during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, there is little evidence regarding the role of the inflammatory potential of maternal diets on birth outcomes. Our objective was to examine the association between prenatal energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammation Index (E-DII) score and adverse birth outcomes in Bangladesh.

Methods: We included data from 389 pregnant women enrolled in a prospective pregnancy-birth cohort in rural Sylhet district. E-DII scores were calculated from a 39-item 7-day food frequency questionnaire administered in the second and third trimesters. Women were categorized into E-DII tertiles, with the lowest tertile (reference) representing more anti-inflammatory diets and the highest tertile representing more pro-inflammatory diets. Gestational age was calculated based on last menstrual period. Sex- and gestational age-specific weight and length Z-scores (WAZ, LAZ) at birth were computed using the INTERGROWTH standards. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to adjust for potential confounders.

Results: Of the 363 live births, 10.3% were preterm and 27.6% low birthweight. Maternal age, on average, was 23.8±4.6 y; 33.4% of women had a mid-upper arm circumference < 22 cm, and the median E-DII score was 3.4 (IQR: 2.9 – 3.9) units. Higher E-DII scores were associated with shorter infant birth length (middle tertile [adjusted β -0.8 cm; 95% CI -1.3, -0.4]; highest tertile [adjusted β -1.1 cm; 95% CI -1.5, -0.5]) and birth LAZ (middle [adjusted β -0.3; 95% CI -0.6, -0.08]; highest [adjusted β -0.4; 95% CI -0.7, -0.1]). There was a negative trend between E-DII and gestational age at birth (middle [adjusted β -0.2 weeks; 95% CI -0.7, 0.2]; highest [adjusted β -0.4 weeks; 95% CI -0.9, 0.08). No association between E-DII score and birthweight or WAZ was found.

Conclusions: We observed that a higher-inflammatory diet during pregnancy was significantly associated with shorter infant birth length. The role of maternal dietary inflammation in adverse birth outcomes warrants further investigation.

Funding Sources: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)