Relationship between diet quality and biochemical profile in Brazilian overweight pregnant women

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the Adapted Diet Quality Index for Pregnant Women (IQDAG) and the biochemical profile of overweight pregnant adult women.

This was a cross-sectional study, using baseline data from a randomized controlled clinical trial conducted with 239 pregnant women in Brazil. The usual diet was obtained through two dietary recalls and the Multiple Source Method. Diet quality was assessed using the IQDAG, which has nine components: eight for adequacy and one for moderation. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triacylglycerols, and C-reactive protein were measured to evaluate the biochemical profile. Adjusted linear regression models were used to evaluate the association between the score of the IQDAG (and its components) and the biochemical profile. The significance level considered was P ≤ 0.05.

The mean index score was 75.4 points. An inverse association was observed between the consumption of legumes and total cholesterol level (β = -4.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], -9.16 to -0.35; P = 0.03) and low-density lipoprotein (β = -4.13; 95% CI, -7.56 to -0.69; P = 0.02), and a direct association between calcium intake and total cholesterol (β = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.002-0.41; P = 0.03). No other associations were observed between the investigated variables.

The data from the present study suggest that higher consumption of legumes is associated with lower levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein. A higher intake of calcium was directly associated with total cholesterol . Further research is required to fully understand how diet quality affects pregnant women's biochemical profiles and what that means for the health of the mother and the fetus.