• norsk
    • English
  • English 
    • norsk
    • English
  • Login
View Item 
  •   Home
  • Fakultet for medisin og helsevitenskap (MH)
  • Institutt for samfunnsmedisin og sykepleie
  • View Item
  •   Home
  • Fakultet for medisin og helsevitenskap (MH)
  • Institutt for samfunnsmedisin og sykepleie
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Maternal dietary intake of riboflavin and vitamin C in early second trimester, foetal growth and birth outcome - a cohort study

Turunen, Tuula
Master thesis
View/Open
Masteroppgave_Tuula Turunen.pdf (Locked)
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/281638
Date
2013
Metadata
Show full item record
Collections
  • Institutt for samfunnsmedisin og sykepleie [1769]
Abstract
Background: The focus on riboflavin and vitamin C inthis study emanated from their

important physiological functions. Reported studies of the association between maternal

dietary intake of riboflavin and vitamin C, and birth anthropometry show conflicting results

and it is not known whether their intakes influence intrauterine growth. Gender-specific

differences in foetal response to nutritional and environmental factors during pregnancy have

been suggested.

Objectives:To examine whether maternal dietary intake of riboflavin and vitamin C around

17-20 weeks of gestation is associated with foetal growth and birth weight, and if the

association is gender specific.

Design:Prospective cohort study conducted 1986-1988 and designed to examine factors

related to intrauterine growth.

Setting:Routine pregnancy care, special study visits, and University hospital in Bergen and

Trondheim with surroundings.

Participants: 872 women of Caucasian origin and their second or third singleton offspring.

Main outcome measures:Weight deviation (in per cent) from normal weight for the

estimated gestational age based on ultrasound measures around 25, 33 and 37 weeks of

gestation, and birth weight.

Methods: Information on maternal riboflavin and vitamin C intake was obtained from 3-d

dietary records. Before statistical analysisthe intakes were categorized by dividing the

frequency distribution into tertiles. Cross-sectional, covariate adjusted multiple linear

regression analyses were performed by vitamin and foetal gender. The following covariates

were considered: total energy intake, maternalage at study entry, pre-pregnancy body mass

index, maternal smoking during pregnancy, highest completed education, previous number of

births, and serum ferritin. In addition, for female offspring the analysis regarding maternal

riboflavin intake and birth weight was also adjusted for gestational age at delivery.

Results: We observed no association between maternalriboflavin intake and estimated foetal

weight deviation during the second or third trimester. Unlike univariate analysis, multivariate

analysis showed a borderline significant inverse association between maternal riboflavin

intake and birth weight, - 56 g (95% confidence interval -77 to 4) for female infants. There

was no such association for males. Maternal vitamin C intake was unrelated to estimated

weight deviation at 25 and 33 weeks of gestation in both genders. At 37 weeks of gestation

the association was borderline significant for male fetuses only, 1.1% (95% confidence

interval -0.1 to 2.3). One unit (tertile) change in vitamin C intake was associated with a 71 g

(95% confidence interval 9 to 132) increase inbirth weight in female infants. Again, no

association was observed among males. Conclusions

We found a borderline significant inverse association between maternal riboflavin intake and

birth weight for female, but not for male infants. For both genders there was no association

with the estimated foetal weight deviation. There was also a significant positive association

between maternal intake of vitamin C and birth weight for female infants and a borderline

significant positive association with estimated foetalweight deviation for male foetuses in late

third trimester (gestational week 37). Our findings should be interpreted cautiously. Besides

some concern about the validity ofdietary intake data, the choice of statistical methods could

be questioned. Further, the borderline significant and significant findings may be biased by

uncontrolled confounding, or be related to other factors than maternal riboflavin or vitamin C

intake per se. Therefore, further studies are needed to elucidate the potential role of riboflavin

and vitamin C in foetal growth. Studies should focus on intrauterine growth as a longitudinal

process in addition to a continued focus on possible gender-specific differences, and

preferably by adding biomarkersof different nutrients. Also, warranted are studies of overall

dietary patterns or diet quality, for instance in combination with important environmental

exposures and lifestyle factors,and their association with the outcomes under study. To our

knowledge, this is the first study that has combined data on maternal vitamin intake, foetal

growth and birth weight. Hence, it is also the first study to indicate a possible gender specific

influence of riboflavin and vitamin C intake on estimated foetal weight deviation/birth

weight.
Publisher
NTNU

Contact Us | Send Feedback

Privacy policy
DSpace software copyright © 2002-2019  DuraSpace

Service from  Unit
 

 

Browse

ArchiveCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDocument TypesJournalsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDocument TypesJournals

My Account

Login

Statistics

View Usage Statistics

Contact Us | Send Feedback

Privacy policy
DSpace software copyright © 2002-2019  DuraSpace

Service from  Unit