Effects of a Healthy Diet During Pregnancy
Author Information
Author(s): Khoury J, Henriksen T, Seljeflot I, Mørkrid L, Frøslie KF, Tonstad S
Primary Institution: Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Centre Oslo, Norway
Hypothesis
Does an antiatherogenic diet during pregnancy affect maternal and fetal biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial activation?
Conclusion
An antiatherogenic diet in pregnancy did not significantly influence maternal or fetal blood concentrations of a range of biomarkers for inflammation.
Supporting Evidence
- All biomarkers except CRP levels increased significantly during the study period in both the intervention and control groups.
- None of the maternal or fetal biomarkers were influenced by the intervention except for a tendency to lower concentrations of cord blood tissue plasminogen activator antigen in the intervention group.
- The previously reported effects of a cholesterol-lowering diet on maternal lipid profile and preterm delivery do not seem to involve changes in the systemic inflammatory responses of pregnancy.
Takeaway
Eating a healthy diet while pregnant didn't change the levels of certain markers in the blood that show inflammation.
Methodology
This was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with 290 healthy, nonsmoking pregnant women who were assigned to either a usual diet or an antiatherogenic diet from gestational week 17-20 to birth.
Potential Biases
There may be a risk of type II error due to the primary hypothesis focusing on cholesterol levels rather than inflammatory markers.
Limitations
The study population consisted of healthy, nonsmoking pregnant women with no previous pregnancy complications, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Nonsmoking pregnant women aged 21-38 years carrying a single fetus.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Statistical Significance
p>0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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