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Session: Nourish to Flourish: Healthy Diet Patterns and Diet Quality in Early Development (Poster Theater Flash Session 17)

(PTFS17-01-24) Persistent Nausea Is Associated With Worsening of Diet Quality Across Pregnancy

Monday, July 1, 2024
2:00 PM – 2:04 PM CT
Location:  W185A-C
CELA ELPC

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Brad Ryva, MS

    DO/PhD Candidate
    Michigan State University
    Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • BW

    Blair J. Wylie

    Columbia University
    New York, New York, United States

  • SS

    Susan L. Schantz

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States

  • RS

    Rita S. Strakovsky, Ph.D., R.D.

    Assistant Professor
    Michigan State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
    East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Objectives: Nausea is the most common pregnancy-related symptom that impacts maternal quality of life, but whether it influences maternal diet quality is uncertain. Thus, we assessed if persistent nausea in pregnancy is associated with diet quality changes across pregnancy.

Methods: Pregnant women (n=413) reported nausea (yes/no) monthly during pregnancy. We categorized women as never having nausea or as having typical (ends by 17 weeks gestation), persistent (ends after 17 weeks gestation), or intermittent nausea. At median 13 and 35 weeks, women completed pregnancy-specific semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires assessing their diet in the past 3 months, which we used to calculate the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010), an 11-component diet quality index (max 100 points, excluding alcohol). We categorized change in diet quality from median 13 to 35 weeks gestation as: minimal change ( < 5 point increase or decrease), improved ( >5 point increase), or worsened ( >5 point decrease). We used covariate-adjusted logistic regression to model the odds of improving or worsening diet quality across pregnancy (compared to minimal change) in response to having persistent nausea versus typical nausea.

Results: Most women were of high socioeconomic status and had typical nausea (42%), followed by persistent nausea (24%) and intermittent nausea (24%), with 10% of women never having nausea. Most women had minimal change in diet quality (51%), whereas 25% improved their diet, and 24% had worsened diet quality across pregnancy. Persistent nausea was associated with worsened diet quality across pregnancy. Specifically, compared to women with typical nausea, women with persistent nausea had double the odds (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.0; p=0.03) of worsening diet quality across pregnancy, possibly due to lower intake of whole grains (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.0, 3.9; p=0.04), but higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (OR: 2.3; 95% CI:1.1, 4.5; p=0.02) and trans-fat (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.6; p=0.03). Never having nausea or having intermittent nausea were not associated with changes in diet quality.

Conclusions: Having persistent nausea is associated with potentially adverse dietary changes across pregnancy. Future studies should consider the possible implications for maternal and fetal health.

Funding Sources: NIH/NIEHS, EPA, USDA NIFA