Meal frequency patterns and glycemic properties of maternal diet in relation to preterm delivery: Results from a large prospective cohort study

• Published in: PloS one 2017-03, Vol.12 (3), p.e0172896-e0172896
• Main Authors: Englund-Ögge, Linda, Birgisdottir, Bryndis Eva, Sengpiel, Verena, Brantsæter, Anne Lise, Haugen, Margareta, Myhre, Ronny, Meltzer, Helle Margrete, Jacobsson, Bo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; amniotic-fluid; Analysis; Bioinformatics; Biology and Life Sciences; Birth; Body mass; Carbohydrates; child cohort; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Confidence intervals; Cytokines; Delivery (Childbirth); Diabetes; Diet; Disease control; Epidemiology; Factor analysis; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food; Food intake; Gestational age; Glucose; Glycemic Index; Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine; Gynecology; Gynekologi, obstetrik och reproduktionsmedicin; Habits; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Hospitals; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infections; Insulin resistance; labor; Male; Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Meals; Medicine and Health Sciences; moba; Mother-infant relations; multiple-proteins; norwegian mother; Nutrition research; Obstetrics; People and Places; Physical Sciences; Plasma; Population; Pregnancy; pregnant-women; Premature birth; Premature Birth - epidemiology; Principal components analysis; Prospective Studies; Public health; Quartiles; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Regression models; Research and Analysis Methods; risk; Risk reduction; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Statistical analysis; Studies; Sugar; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172896

Dietary habits are linked to high maternal glucose levels, associated with preterm delivery. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between meal frequency and glycemic properties of maternal diet in relation to preterm delivery. This prospective cohort study included 66,000 women from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Meal frequency and food intake data were obtained from a validated food frequency questionnaire during mid-pregnancy. Principal component factor analysis was used with a data-driven approach, and three meal frequency patterns were identified: "snack meal", "main meal", and "evening meal". Pattern scores were ranked in quartiles. Glycemic index and glycemic load were estimated from table values. Intakes of carbohydrates, added sugar, and fiber were reported in grams per day and divided into quartiles. Gestational age was obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Preterm delivery was defined as birth at