Evidence of infant blood pressure programming by maternal nutrition during pregnancy: a prospective randomized controlled intervention study

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of maternal nutrition during pregnancy on infant blood pressure.

Study design: Pregnant women (n = 256) were randomized into 3 groups: modified dietary intake according to current recommendations and probiotics (diet/probiotics), placebo (diet/placebo), and a control/placebo group. In the infants born to these women, blood pressure was recorded at age 6 months using an automated oscillometric DINAMAP R.

Results: Despite significant differences in maternal dietary intakes between the study groups, the intervention focusing on maternal fat intake showed no direct impact on infants' blood pressure. Instead, a complex U-shaped interrelationship was uncovered; the highest and lowest quartiles of intakes of specific nutrients, carbohydrate (P = .006 for systolic pressure and P = .015 for diastolic pressure), and monounsaturated fatty acids (P = .029 for diastolic pressure) compared with the middle quartiles resulted in higher blood pressure at age 6 months. The pattern between maternal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy and infants' blood pressure remained significant even after adjustment for breastfeeding and body length. A reverse U-shaped trend again was observed between maternal intake of fruits and infants' systolic blood pressure (P = .077).

Conclusion: With a view toward programming blood pressure to adulthood, our results suggest an opportunity for dietary counseling to promote child health.