Expectant mothers who maintain a diet that meets USDA dietary guidelines during pregnancy may be more likely to have infants with healthy birthweights, steadier growth patterns, and potentially a reduced risk of obesity later in childhood, according to a new study funded by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program at the National Institutes of Health. The research, involving more than 2,800 mother-child pairs across eight ECHO Cohort Study Sites, suggests that following a healthy prenatal diet in line with the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans could have long-term positive effects on infant growth up to 24 months. This study found that eating a healthy diet during pregnancy was linked with a lower chance of extremely rapid infant growth," said Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.
Dr. Ferrara noted that rapid growth from birth to 24 months is a strong predictor of obesity later in life. The study used two dietary measures-;the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP)-;to look at maternal eating patterns.
The HEI measures overall diet quality. The EDIP score measures how likely a diet is to cause inflammation in the body. Diets with high EDIP scores have been linked to increased levels of inflammation.
Key findings from the research showed that: Higher HEI scores, reflecting healthier diets, were associated with a 12% reduced chance of infants being born.