(P10-066-24) Associations Between Prenatal Supplementation, Maternal Dietary Intake, and Maternal Metabolic Profiles

Objectives: To determine the associations between prenatal supplementation and pregnant women’s dietary intake and metabolic profiles.

Methods: Secondary data analyses of a longitudinal study (NCT01131117) involving 220 mother-child dyads were conducted using descriptive statistics and linear mixed-effect models. Dietary intake was evaluated with 3-day food records (NDSR, Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota, MN) at 6 time points and averaged to quantify intakes from food alone or food and supplements before comparing them to National Academy of Medicine recommendations. Blood samples were collected 5 times to evaluate insulin, leptin, glucose, and triglycerides; values were averaged across pregnancy. Covariates included age, body composition (BodPod, 2 time points), and daily step counts (Actical, 6 time points).

Results: Over pregnancy, about half of the participants consistently averaged one supplement per day with the most common (98%) being a multivitamin. Diet quality was poor (HEI score 48.5 ± 6.47) with gaps in intake for all food groups apart from dairy and total protein foods. Consequently, nutrient intakes from food showed inadequate intakes for more than half the population with respect to Vitamin A (61.5%), Vitamin B6 (61.5%), Vitamin C (61.1%), Choline (97.1%), Vitamin D (68.9%), Vitamin E (97.1%), Folate (65.6%), Pantothenic Acid (89.3%), Calcium (64.8%), Iron (96.7%), Potassium (100%), and Zinc (66.4%). Supplementation significantly reduced inadequate intake rates to below 50% of the population for all but three nutrients (Choline, Pantothenic Acid, & Potassium), and significantly increased the proportion of women with excess intakes for iron (17.6%), folate (90.6%), and zinc (3.3%). In the adjusted model, average iron intake from food and supplements (β = 0.1, p=0.03) were positively associated with HDL levels. No other associations were found between nutrients and maternal metabolic outcomes.

Conclusions: Providers should encourage a food first approach to achieve optimal nutrient intake before tailoring supplementation recommendations. Dietary supplementation during pregnancy helps meet recommendations without exceeding upper limits for most nutrients making them an important tool in public health efforts to promote maternal and child health.

Funding Sources: USDA/ARS Project 6026-51000-012-06S