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The Use of Gas Chromatography to Analyze Compositional Changes of Fatty Acids in Rat Liver Tissue during Pregnancy
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Interrogating Components of 2 Diet Quality Indices in Pregnancy using a Supervised Statistical Mixtures Approach
Diana C Pacyga1, Diana K Haggerty2, Chris Gennings3
1Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|May 18, 2023
Summary
Healthy diet patterns during pregnancy, measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010, are linked to longer gestational length. Novel statistical methods revealed specific dietary components contributing to this association.
Area of Science:
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Nutritional science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Dietary quality during pregnancy is crucial for maternal and infant health.
- The Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 assess overall diet quality.
- Understanding how specific dietary components influence gestational length is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between HEI-2015 and AHEI-2010 components and gestational length.
- To utilize traditional and novel statistical methods to identify key dietary contributors.
- To evaluate the impact of dietary patterns on pregnancy duration.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study involving pregnant women.
- Dietary intake assessed via food-frequency questionnaires (FFQ) in early pregnancy.
- Analysis using covariate-adjusted linear regression and weighted quantile sum regression models.
- Evaluation of total scores, individual components, and dietary mixtures.
Main Results:
- Higher HEI-2015 and AHEI-2010 scores were associated with longer gestational length.
- Specific components like seafood/plant proteins, greens/beans, and nuts/legumes showed positive associations.
- Lower intake of added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) was linked to extended gestation.
- Novel methods identified unique contributors to gestational length, including dairy, sodium, and DHA/EPA.
Conclusions:
- Dietary patterns assessed by HEI-2015 and AHEI-2010 are associated with gestational length.
- Novel statistical approaches provide more robust insights into dietary component contributions.
- Further research using these methods for other dietary indices and health outcomes is warranted.
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