Diet and mental health in pregnancy: Nutrients of importance based on large observational cohort data

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2022-04, Vol.96, p.111582-111582, Article 111582
• Main Authors: Yelverton, Cara A., Rafferty, Anthony A., Moore, Rebecca L., Byrne, David F., Mehegan, John, Cotter, Paul D., Van Sinderen, Douwe, Murphy, Eileen F., Killeen, Sarah Louise, McAuliffe, Fionnuala M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Body mass index; Body size; Clinical trials; Cohort Studies; Deprivation; Diaries; Diet; Dietary intake; exercise; Female; Folic acid; Food intake; Human nutrition; Humans; Magnesium; maternal nutrition; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; mobile telephones; Multiple regression analysis; niacin; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrients; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Observational studies; Pears; Pregnancy; Probiotics; randomized clinical trials; regression analysis; Retrospective Studies; thiamin; Thiamine; Vitamins; Well being; WHO-5; Womens health; World Health Organization
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111582

•Mental health is significantly reduced during pregnancy and is therefore a high-priority research area.•Existing research has investigated relationships between specific dietary patterns and mental health in non-pregnant populations; this study is among the first to carry out such investigations in a pregnancy cohort.•Fiber, potentially via pathways of the gut microbiome, is a key predictor of well-being in early pregnancy.•Micronutrients including B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc also play a role in shaping the mental health status of women in pregnancy.•It is important to optimize the health of pregnant women via nutrition to improve outcomes for both mother and offspring, considering the implications it has for the mental and physical health of both. To determine associations between dietary intake and well-being in pregnancy. This retrospective cohort analysis combined three studies: the ROLO Study (a randomized controlled trial of a low-glycemic-index diet in pregnancy), the Pregnancy Exercise and nutrition Research Study with smartphone application support (PEARS), and a randomized controlled trial on probiotics. All data were collected before study interventions (16 wk). Dietary intakes during pregnancy were determined using 3-day food diaries. The five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index was used to assess mental well-being. Initial associations were evaluated using Pearson correlations and further defined with multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), Pobal Haase and Pratschke deprivation index, and metabolic equivalent of task minutes scores. A total of 1521 women were included in the analysis (mean age, 32+4 y; mean BMI, 27 kg/m2 [IQR, 17–56 kg/m2]). The mean well-being score was 59%. Regression analysis showed that fiber (B = 0.07; P = 0.02), magnesium (B = 0.08; P < 0.01), niacin (B = 0.09; P < 0.01), thiamine (B = 0.07; P = 0.01), and folate (B = 0.08; P = 0.02) were all positively and significantly associated with well-being in a pregnant population. The Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to correct for multiple testing was applied, and significance remained. Maternal nutrition and well-being are related during early pregnancy. Our findings suggest that fiber, magnesium, and particular B vitamins may be of importance for promoting positive mental well-being during pregnancy.