Maternal diet in pregnancy and offspring height, sitting height, and leg length. 2005

Sam Leary, and Andy Ness, and Pauline Emmett, and George Davey Smith, and
Unit of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Department of Community-based Medicine, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK. s.d.leary@bristol.ac.uk

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between maternal diet in pregnancy and offspring height, sitting height, and leg length. METHODS Cohort study. METHODS South west England. METHODS 6663 singletons (51% male) enrolled in the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children, with information on their mother's diet in late pregnancy (obtained by food frequency questionnaire) and their own height recorded at age 7.5 years. RESULTS Before adjustment, maternal magnesium, iron, and vitamin C were the nutrients most consistently associated with offspring height and its components. However, adjusting for potential confounders weakened all relations considerably. For example, a standard deviation (SD) increase in magnesium intake was associated with a 0.10 (-0.07, 0.14) SD unit increase in height before adjustment, which was reduced to 0.05 (0.01, 0.08) SD units after adjustment, and a SD unit increase in iron intake was associated with 0.08 (0.05, 0.12) and 0.04 (0.01, 0.08) SD unit increases in height before and after adjustment respectively. No other dietary variables were associated with height or its components after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS These findings do not provide evidence that maternal diet in pregnancy has an important influence on offspring height, sitting height, or leg length in well nourished populations, although effects may emerge as offspring become older.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007866 Leg The inferior part of the lower extremity between the KNEE and the ANKLE. Legs
D008274 Magnesium A metallic element that has the atomic symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and atomic weight 24.31. It is important for the activity of many enzymes, especially those involved in OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION.
D008297 Male Males
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011297 Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects The consequences of exposing the FETUS in utero to certain factors, such as NUTRITION PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA; PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS; DRUGS; RADIATION; and other physical or chemical factors. These consequences are observed later in the offspring after BIRTH. Delayed Effects, Prenatal Exposure,Late Effects, Prenatal Exposure
D001827 Body Height The distance from the sole to the crown of the head with body standing on a flat surface and fully extended. Body Heights,Height, Body,Heights, Body
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D004032 Diet Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal. Diets
D005247 Feeding Behavior Behavioral responses or sequences associated with eating including modes of feeding, rhythmic patterns of eating, and time intervals. Dietary Habits,Eating Behavior,Faith-based Dietary Restrictions,Feeding Patterns,Feeding-Related Behavior,Food Habits,Diet Habits,Eating Habits,Behavior, Eating,Behavior, Feeding,Behavior, Feeding-Related,Behaviors, Eating,Behaviors, Feeding,Behaviors, Feeding-Related,Diet Habit,Dietary Habit,Dietary Restriction, Faith-based,Dietary Restrictions, Faith-based,Eating Behaviors,Eating Habit,Faith based Dietary Restrictions,Faith-based Dietary Restriction,Feeding Behaviors,Feeding Pattern,Feeding Related Behavior,Feeding-Related Behaviors,Food Habit,Habit, Diet,Habit, Dietary,Habit, Eating,Habit, Food,Habits, Diet,Pattern, Feeding,Patterns, Feeding,Restrictions, Faith-based Dietary
D005260 Female Females

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