Maternal Pregnancy Diet Quality Is Directly Associated with Autonomic Nervous System Function in 6-Month-Old Offspring
- Language of the publication
- English
- Date
- 2019-10-01
- Type
- Article
- Author(s)
- Krzeczkowski, John E.
- Boylan, Khrista
- Arbuckle, Tye E.
- Muckle, Gina
- Poliakova, Natalia
- Séguin, Jean R.
- Favotto, Lindsay A.
- Savoy, Calan
- Amani, Bahar
- Mortaji, Neda
- Van Lieshout, Ryan J.
- Publisher
- Elsevier
Abstract
Background: Many pregnant women are consuming diets of poor overall quality. Although many studies have linked poor prenatal diet quality to an increased risk of specific diseases in offspring, it is not known if exposure to poor prenatal diet affects core neurophysiological regulatory systems in offspring known to lie upstream of multiple diseases. Objective: We aimed to examine the association between prenatal diet quality and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in infants at 6 mo of age. Methods: Data from 400 women (aged >18 y, with uncomplicated pregnancies) and their infants participating in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Infant Development cohort were used to investigate links between prenatal diet quality and infant ANS function at 6 mo of age. Prenatal diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (2010), calculated from a validated FFQ completed by women during the first trimester. Infant ANS function was measured using 2 assessments of heart rate variability (HRV) including root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and SD of N-N intervals (SDNN). Associations were analyzed before and after adjustment for socioeconomic status, maternal depression symptoms, maternal cardiometabolic dysfunction, breastfeeding, and prenatal smoking. Results: Poorer prenatal diet quality was associated with lower infant HRV assessed using RMSSD (B: 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.13; R2 = 0.013) and SDNN (B: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.35; R2 = 0.011). These associations remained significant after adjustment for confounding variables [RMSSD: B: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.003, 0.18; squared semipartial correlation (sp2) = 0.14 and SDNN B: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.49; sp2 = 0.13]. Conclusions: In a large cohort study, poorer prenatal diet quality was associated with lower offspring HRV, a marker of decreased capacity of the ANS to respond adaptively to challenge. Therefore, poor prenatal diet may play a significant role in the programming of multiple organ systems and could increase general susceptibility to disease in offspring. Keywords: biomarkers; developmental origins of health and disease; diet quality; maternal diet; neuropsychiatric disorders; pregnancy; prenatal programming.
Plain language summary
"Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. The number of women consuming diets of less than ideal quality (low in nutrients and high in fats and sugars) is increasing. A woman’s diet during pregnancy can impact the health of her baby. The autonomic nervous system coordinates the body’s response to external and internal demands to regulate certain body processes, such as the rate of breathing. This system works automatically, without a person’s conscious effort. One way to assess autonomic nervous system function is by measuring variability between inter-beat intervals of the heart – called heart rate variability. Greater heart rate variability suggests a more flexible autonomic nervous system that is capable of adapting to a range of challenges. In contrast, low heart rate variability suggests a more rigid system with limited capacity to respond to stressors. This study was designed to examine associations between prenatal diet quality and heart rate variability in 400 mother-infant pairs from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals-Infant Development (MIREC-ID) Study. Maternal diet quality during pregnancy was assessed by questionnaire. Infant heart rate variability was measured by electrocardiogram (ECG) in 6-month old infants. This study found that 75% of the women consumed diets of average quality. Poorer diet quality during pregnancy was associated with lower heart rate variability in infants, suggesting less flexibility of the autonomic nervous system to respond to stressors. This may be a mechanism by which poor prenatal diet increases the child’s susceptibility to diseases later in life."
Subject
- Health,
- Health and safety