Antenatal dietary concordance among mothers and fathers and gestational weight gain: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Parent-child dietary concordance is associated with child diet, but the clinical implications of mother-father dietary concordance during pregnancy are unknown. This study evaluates antenatal mother-father dietary concordance and associations with gestational weight gain (GWG). METHODS: Mother-father (n = 111) dyads with low income reported their fruit/vegetable (FV), fast food (FF), and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption frequency during the first trimester of pregnancy. From electronic health records, we collected height and self-reported pre-pregnancy weight and calculated pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). The primary outcome was excessive GWG for pre-pregnancy BMI. Dyads were categorized as healthy or unhealthy concordant (consuming similarly high or low amounts of FV, FF, or SSB), or mother-healthy or father-healthy discordant (consuming different amounts of FV, FF, or SSB). Multivariable and logistic regressions analyzed associations between dietary concordance and GWG. RESULTS: Mothers were Hispanic (25%), 43% White, 6% Black, and 23% Asian or Other. Most mothers were employed (62%) making <$50,000/year (64%). Average maternal GWG was 11.6 kg (SD = 6.40), and 36% had excessive GWG. Mothers in the mother-healthy discordant FV group (OR = 4.84; 95% CI = 1.29, 18.22) and the unhealthy concordant FF group (OR = 7.08; 95% CI = 2.08, 24.12) had higher odds for excessive GWG, compared to healthy concordant dyads. SSB concordance was associated with higher GWG in unadjusted, but not adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers had higher risk for excessive GWG when both partners had unhealthy FF consumption frequency, and when fathers had unhealthy FV consumption frequency. These findings imply that fathers should be involved in educational opportunities regarding dietary intake during pregnancy.

A high fiber diet or supplementation with Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris to pregnant mice confers protection against intestinal injury in adult offspring.

The diet during pregnancy, or antenatal diet, influences the offspring's intestinal health. We previously showed that antenatal butyrate supplementation reduces injury in adult murine offspring with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Potential modulators of butyrate levels in the intestine include a high fiber diet or dietary supplementation with probiotics. To test this, we supplemented the diet of pregnant mice with high fiber, or with the probiotic bacteria Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. We then induced chronic colitis with DSS in their adult offspring. We demonstrate that a high fiber antenatal diet, or supplementation with Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris during pregnancy diminished the injury from DSS-induced colitis in offspring. These data are evidence that antenatal dietary interventions impact offspring gut health and define the antenatal diet as a therapeutic modality to enhance offspring intestinal health.