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Objective To investigate the association of the maternal serum albumin (MAlb) level with fetal growth and fetal growth restriction (FGR) risk in term-born singletons. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Four hospital maternity units of the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort study initiated from September 2013 to April 2016 at Wuhan City, in central China. Patient(s) A total of 3,065 mother–offspring pairs. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Fetal growth was evaluated by birth weight (BW) and birth length. Fetal growth restriction was defined as BW below the 10th percentile. Result(s) All MAlb levels were within the upper limit of normal. After adjustment for liver function parameters, inflammatory indicators, and others, a reverse U-shaped relationship between MAlb and fetal growth was observed. Specifically, BW increased significantly with an increasing MAlb level when the MAlb level was 36.1 g/L (per g/L: β = −15.1; 95% CI, −21.2, −8.9). There was a similar association between MAlb and birth length. Furthermore, the adjusted odd ratios of FGR across increasing tertiles of the MAlb levels were 1.0 (reference), 1.1 (0.7, 1.8), and 1.7 (1.0, 2.6). Conclusion(s) There was a reverse U-shaped association between MAlb and fetal growth. A higher MAlb level was associated with an increased risk of FGR. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT03099837.

Summary Background & aims Emerging evidence has shown the inverse association between dietary polyphenols intake and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk, however, few studies focus on the prospective effects of polyphenols on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Thus, the aim was to evaluate whether higher polyphenols intake and the intake from fruits and vegetables was correlated to a lower risk of GDM. Methods Dietary intake of polyphenols of women with a singleton pregnancy and without any history of diabetes were obtained by a validated food frequency questionnaire from Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort study. Oral glucose tolerance tests were conducted at 24–28 weeks to screen for GDM. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between dietary intake of polyphenols, and the results were presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs). Generalized linear models were adopted to determine the association of polyphenols intake with blood glucose concentrations, and the results were presented as coefficients (β) with 95% CIs. Results 185 (8.3%) of 2231 pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM. The intake of total polyphenols was 319.9 (217.8–427.0) mg/d, and the intake from fruits and vegetables was 201.6 (115.3–281.8) mg/d and 63.2 (41.1–92.7) mg/d, respectively. Compared with the lowest quartile, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of GDM risk for women with the highest quartile of total polyphenols and flavonoids intake was 0.55 (0.30, 0.99), and 0.57 (0.32, 0.99). The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of GDM risk was 0.55 0.51 (0.30, 0.87) (P for trend = 0.017) for polyphenols from fruits, 0.58 (0.34, 0.99) (P for trend = 0.038) for flavonoids from fruits, and 0.62 (0.38, 1.00) (P for trend = 0.065) for anthocyanidins from fruits comparing the highest versus lowest quartile. In addition, each 100 mg increase of total polyphenols and polyphenols from fruits was associated with 0.054 (0.008, 0.096) (P = 0.021) and 0.061 (0.012, 0.109) (P = 0.015) decrease in 2-h post-load blood glucose. No significant association was found between total polyphenols from vegetables intake and the risk of GDM. Conclusions Higher dietary intake of total polyphenols and flavonoids and the intake from fruits was associated with lower GDM risk. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03099837.

Objective Fresh fruit intake has been found to be associated with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); however, the evidence is limited and the findings are inconsistent. We aimed to assess the association of fresh fruit intake by fruit subgroups based on their glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values and GDM incidence in Chinese pregnant women. Methods We included 3300 eligible women from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Dietary intakes were assessed by using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. GDM was diagnosed based on the results of a 75-g, 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. In the adjusted logistic regression model, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for GDM were computed for the highest compared with lowest quintiles of fruit intake. Results GDM occurred in 378 (11.5%) of 3300 pregnant women. The average fresh fruit consumption was 381.7 g/d. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for GDM from the lowest to highest quintile of whole fruit consumption were 1.00 (referent), 0.80 (0.56, 1.12), 0.74 (0.52, 1.05), 0.63 (0.44, 0.92), and 0.41 (0.27, 0.62), respectively; Ptrend Conclusions Our findings suggested an inverse association of fresh fruit intake with the risk of GDM in Chinese pregnant women. In women with GDM risk, low GI and GL fresh fruit consumption should be privileged versus those with high GI and GL.

Background Maternal iodine status has been suggested to affect birth outcomes. Few studies have focused on its effects on fetal growth during pregnancy. Objective This study aimed to assess maternal iodine status during early pregnancy and further examine the relation between maternal iodine status and fetal growth. Methods A total of 2087 singleton-pregnant women participating in the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort study were involved. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and creatinine concentration were measured in spot urine samples collected in early pregnancy (

Objective Information is limited regarding the possible relationship between diet-related inflammation and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study investigated the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet, measured by the dietary inflammatory index (DII), and GDM risk in pregnant Chinese women. Methods This study included 2639 eligible women from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Dietary intake was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and was used to calculate the DII score. The DII was then validated using C-reactive protein measurements in a subsample of 133 pregnant women. GDM diagnoses were collected from medical records based on the results of a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at 24 to 28 wk gestation. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for GDM risk by DII score, modeled continuously and in tertiles. Results Of the 2639 participants, 13.1% were diagnosed with GDM. DII scores ranged from –4.45 to 3.15 and were positively associated with C-reactive protein (adjusted β : 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16, 2.40; P trend = 0.023) when comparing DII tertile 3 (most pro-inflammatory) to tertile 1 (most anti-inflammatory). A significant and positive association was observed between DII scores and GDM risk (adjusted OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.95; P trend = 0.022) comparing the highest versus lowest tertiles. The stratified analysis showed that this association was stronger in pregnant women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy (adjusted OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.03, 4.69). Conclusions These findings suggest that a higher DII score, corresponding to a more proinflammatory diet, is associated with a higher risk of GDM, particularly in pregnant women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy.

Aims Iron supplementation has been recommended for healthy pregnancy, but concerns have been raised regarding the potential adverse effects. We sought to examine the impact of periconceptional iron supplement use on subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. Methods Participants (N = 5101) with information on periconceptional micronutrient supplementation and diagnosis of GDM were involved. Information on iron supplementation and general characteristics were collected at enrollment and follow-up visits. GDM was diagnosed by oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) conducted at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Robust Poisson regression model was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the effect of iron supplement use on GDM. Results 10.5% of the participants were diagnosed with GDM and the incidence was significantly higher in users with iron >30 mg/d for more than 3 months (Iron >30-L) than in nonusers. Adjusted RRs (95% CI) were 1.53 (1.21, 1.93) in Iron >30-L group, 1.14 (0.80, 1.61) in users with iron >30 mg/d for 30-S) and 1.15 (0.86, 1.54) in users with iron ≤30 mg/d for any duration (Iron ≤30) respectively, compared to nonusers. This link in Iron >30-L group was even stronger (adjusted RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.25, 2.31) when restricting the analysis among primiparous and iron-replete participants without family history of diabetes. There were no significant differences in birth outcomes among groups. Conclusions Periconceptional iron supplementation >30 mg/d for long-term was associated with increased GDM risk. The need and safety of prophylactic iron supplement in iron-replete pregnant women should be reconsidered.

OBJECTIVES: Concerns relative to excessive iron intake are raised when high iron status exposure has been linked in observational studies to a greater risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to examine the association between iron intake during pregnancy and GDM risk in Chinese women. METHODS: The study included 2174 pregnant women from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC), a prospective cohort in Wuhan, China. Iron intakes from food and supplementation prior to GDM diagnosis were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a detailed supplement questionnaire collected at 13–28 weeks of gestation. GDM was ascertained by an oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Odd ratios (ORs) of GDM in relation to categories of iron intake (i.e., quartiles of total and food iron intake, categories of supplemental iron intake [0, 0–30, >30 mg/day]) were estimated using logistic regression models, with adjustment for demographic, dietary and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: A total of 242 (11.1%) women were diagnosed with GDM. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for the risk of GDM associated with the higher quartiles compared with the lowest quartile of total iron intake were 1.44 (0.89, 2.33), 2.03 (1.27, 3.25), and 2.86 (1.84, 4.43), respectively (P for trend 30 mg/day during pregnancy had an OR for GDM of 2.32 (95% CI: 1.60, 3.36). Moreover, the significant positive effect of supplemental iron was mainly attributed to iron supplementation during mid-pregnancy (≥60 vs. 0 mg/day, OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.13), while no effect of iron supplementation during early pregnancy was observed. No significant association was found between food iron intake and GDM. CONCLUSIONS: Higher supplemental iron intake during pregnancy was significantly associated with elevated GDM risk. Adverse effect of indiscriminate iron supplementation, especially inappropriate supplementation during mid-pregnancy, would likely outweigh benefits for maternal health. FUNDING SOURCES: Funding was received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC81673159), National Program on Basic Research Project of China (NO.2013FY114200) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (HUST 2019kfyXMPY008) (Nianhong.Yang.).

OBJECTIVES: The overall plant-based diet index (PDI) has been demonstrated to be protective against type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the general population. Whether the PDI was linked to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is unclear. We aimed to assess the association of the PDI with GDM incidence in Chinese pregnant women. METHODS: A total of 2099 pregnant women from the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC) were included in the present study. Dietary data were collected at 13–28 wks of pregnancy by using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Food groups including cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, vegetable oil, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish, were ranked into quintiles and given positive (1–5 for plant food groups) or reverse (5–1 for animal food groups) scores. The PDI was obtained by summing the 10 food group scores, with a theoretical range of 10 to 50. GDM was diagnosed by the 75-g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 wks. Cubic-restricted spline function and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between the PDI during pregnancy and GDM. RESULTS: GDM was reported by 8.1% of the 2099 pregnancies. The PDI score ranged from 17 to 43 (theoretical range: 10–50), the mean (SD) was 30.2 (4.4). After adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, education, income, parity, gravidity, family history of diabetes, total energy intake per day, and other pre-pregnancy information such as body mass index (BMI), smoking status, drinking status, exercise, and sleep quality, a linear association between the PDI and GDM risk was demonstrated by the restricted cubic splines (P for overall association = 0.024, P for nonlinearity = 0.370). Compared to the lowest quartile 1 of PDI, ORs (95% CI) were 0.91 (0.59, 1.42) for quartile 2, 0.91 (0.58, 1.41) for quartile 3, and 0.52 (0.30, 0.89) for quartiles 4 (P for trend = 0.040) in the adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that higher PDI is associated with a substantially lower risk of developing GDM, which indicates that adopt plant-based diets during pregnancy could be an easy avenue to reduce GDM risk. FUNDING SOURCES: Funding was received from the National Program on Basic Research Project of China (NO.2013FY114200) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (HUST2016YXZD040) for Nianhong Yang.