A randomized longitudinal dietary intervention study during pregnancy: effects on fish intake, phospholipids, and body composition

Research

Marja Bosaeus, Aysha Hussain, Therese Karlsson, Louise Andersson, Lena Hulthén, Cecilia Svelander, Ann-Sofie Sandberg, Ingrid Larsson, Lars Ellegård and Agneta Holmäng

Nutrition Journal 2015, 14:1 
doi:10.1186/1475-2891-14-1

Published: 2 January 2015

Abstract (provisional)

Background

Fish and meat intake may affect gestational weight gain, body composition and serum
fatty acids. We aimed to determine whether a longitudinal dietary intervention during
pregnancy could increase fish intake, affect serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational
weight gain and body composition changes during pregnancy in women of normal weight
participating in the Pregnancy Obesity Nutrition and Child Health study. A second
aim was to study possible effects in early pregnancy of fish intake and meat intake,
respectively, on serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain, and body
composition.

Methods

In this prospective, randomized controlled study, women were allocated to a control
group or to a dietary counseling group that focused on increasing fish intake. Fat
mass and fat-free mass were measured by air-displacement plethysmography. Reported
intake of fish and meat was collected from a baseline population and from a subgroup
of women who participated in each trimester of their pregnancies. Serum levels of
phospholipid arachidonic acid (s-ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (s-EPA), and docosahexaenoic
acid (s-DHA) were measured during each trimester.

Results

Weekly fish intake increased only in the intervention group (n = 18) from the first
to the second trimester (median difference 113 g, p = 0.03) and from the first to
the third trimester (median difference 75 g, p = 0.01). In the first trimester, fish
intake correlated with s-EPA (r = 0.36, p = 0.002, n = 69) and s-DHA (r = 0.34, p
= 0.005, n = 69), and meat intake correlated with s-ARA (r = 0.28, p = 0.02, n = 69).
Fat-free mass gain correlated with reported meat intake in the first trimester (r
= 0.39, p = 0.01, n = 45).

Conclusions

Dietary counseling throughout pregnancy could help women increase their fish intake.
Intake of meat in early pregnancy may increase the gain in fat-free mass during pregnancy.