During pregnancy the developing infant is entirely dependent on its nutrient requirements from its mother’s blood. Because the chemical composition of the parental blood is related to the quality of the diet, diet quality can therefore have an impact on the development of the foetus. The relationship between a number of specific dietary parameters and pregnancy outcomes have been investigated. For example, folate deficiency is known to cause neural tube defects in the foetus, and deficiencies in the long chain fatty acids from fish can affect brain and neuronal tissue development. Foetal growth restriction is a term used to describe inhibition of growth parameters, and it is know that this can occur because of dietary factors. Restriction of foetal growth is important because it can increase chronic disease in adulthood. Early pregnancy is the time when the foetus is most vulnerable to low dietary quality.
Spanish researchers1 have investigated the effects of diet quality during the first trimester of pregnancy on foetal growth in 787 healthy Spanish women. The subjects were assessed for their diet quality using a modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index that had been adapted for pregnancy. Assessments were taken of the birth weight, birth length and head circumference and this data was taken to construct a measurement of foetal growth restriction. Women in the first quintile had the highest diet quality scores and a significant lower risk of delivering growth restricted infants for weight, when compared to the lowest quintile. A positive association was found between birth weight and birth length after adjustments were made for possible confounding variables. Women in the fourth quintile had infants that were on average 126.3 grams heavier and 0.47 cm longer than those in the lowest quintile.
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