Composition of breast milk from mothers of premature and full-term infants and its influence in Z-Scores for infant physical growth.

BACKGROUND: Breast milk contains various crucial nutrients and biologically active substances and is ideal for newborns. This study aimed to analyze the composition of breast milk from mothers of premature and full-term infants and its influences on the growth of infants. METHODS: Infant-mother dyads examined at our Hospital (March 2016 to May 2017) were included. Milk was collected at 0-1 month, 2-3 months, and 5-6 months and analyzed using a MIRIS human milk analyzer. Z-scores of weight-for-length (WLZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and length-for-age (LAZ) were calculated. RESULTS: This study included full-term (> 37 weeks of gestation, n = 177) and premature (< 37 weeks, n = 94) infant-mother dyads. The premature infants showed higher ΔWAZ, ΔLAZ, and ΔWLZ from infancy to toddlerhood for the physical growth speed, compared with term infants (P < 0.001). All proteins and true protein components of breast milk decreased with infants' age (P < 0.001). For premature and full-term infants, differences in ΔWAZ and ΔLAZ from birth to infancy and the difference in ΔLAZ, WAZ, and LAZ in toddlerhood were positively associated with non-protein nitrogen (NPN) (all P < 0.05), while the Z-score differences in ΔWLZ from birth to infancy were negatively associated with NPN (all P < 0.05). For premature babies, from birth to infancy stage, ΔWAZ was positively correlated with NPN and carbohydrates while negatively correlated with dry matter (all P < 0.05), and ΔLAZ correlated with NPN (ß = 0.428, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding helped premature infants compensatory growth when compared to term infants. Whileduring early infancy stage ΔWLZ gain was negatively associated with increased amounts of NPN in breast milk. This might mean although NPN increase the Z-scores of weight-for-age and length-for-age, with no rise in adipose tissue mass.

Impact of ambient temperature on adverse pregnancy outcomes: a birth cohort study in Fuzhou, China.

Background: Previous studies have identified a series of specific adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) linked with temperature extremes. Most of them focus on preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. Other possible adverse outcomes were under-researched. This study aimed to investigate the impact of ambient temperature on maternal complications, white blood cell count (WBC), newborn hearing, and neonatal jaundice. Methods: A total of 418 participants were recruited from Fuzhou Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital in 2016. Participants were invited to fill out a structured questionnaire. The gridded near-surface air temperatures at a resolution of 0.1°* 0.1° for Fuzhou were extracted from a published dataset. Meteorological data and PM2.5 were extracted based on participants' residential addresses using R packages "ncdf4" and "raster." Multivariate logistic regression models were used to quantify the effects of ambient temperature on APOs after controlling for confounders. Results: Overall, there were 107 APOs, accounting for 25.6% of all participants. Every 1°C increase in mean temperature was associated with a 10.0% increase in APOs (aOR = 1.100, 95%CI 1.006-1.203) during the period of early pregnancy. However, negative associations were observed in the middle pregnancy period, and a 1°C increase in mean temperature was associated 8.8% decrease in APOs (aOR = 0.912, 95%CI 0.846-0.982). Diurnal temperature variation had a significant impact on APOs in the third trimester. Infant jaundice was negatively associated with temperature exposure in the middle and late pregnancy periods. The risk of neonatal jaundice increased at lag weeks 2-9 in the first trimester, with the greatest lagged effect (aOR = 1.201, 95%CI 1.020-1.413) observed at lag week 3. A 1°C increase in mean temperature led to a 29.6% (aOR = 1.296, 95%CI 1.019-1.649) increase in high WBC. A 1°C increase in temperature variation was associated with more than two times (aOR = 2.469, 95%CI 1.001-6.089) increase of high WBC in the first trimester and about five times (aOR = 4.724, 95%CI 1.548-14.409) increase in the third trimester. Conclusion: Ambient temperature affects neonatal jaundice, newborn hearing loss, and infections during pregnancy. In addition to the identified epidemiologic link and susceptible exposure windows, there is a need to understand the underlying biological mechanisms for better recommendations for climate change adaptation policies.

Epidemiological characteristics of overseas imported COVID-19 cases into China: A scoping literature review.

Previous studies investigating the characteristics of imported cases were mostly limited to a certain province/city or a specific sub-group during a certain period with a small sample size, which may not provide an overall picture of the characteristics of imported cases. In this scoping literature review, we comprehensively synthesized the epidemiological characteristics of overseas imported COVID-19 cases into China by retrieving six literature databases, with aims to provide implications for more targeted control, prevention, and medical treatment of this disease. After dropping duplicates and reviewing titles, abstracts, and full-texts, 50 articles were included in the review finally, including 26 (52%) articles in English and 24 (48%) articles in Chinese. According to the type of data sources, the 50 studies were divided into three categories: 13 (26%) articles using data sourced from the Chinese Infectious Diseases Online Reporting System, 15 (30%) articles using data from the websites of national/local health departments, and 22 (44%) articles using hospital admission data. Most of the overseas imported COVID-19 cases were young and middle-aged Chinese students and businessmen returning from the United States, Europe, and some neighboring countries. Airport routine health screening measures could not identify COVID-cases effectively, although scheduled multiple nucleic acid tests were required before boarding. Almost all imported cases were identified during the hotel quarantine period. Although a large proportion of imported cases were asymptomatic or with mild symptoms in the published literature, they may be due to participant selection bias. The exact proportion of asymptomatic cases may need to be further investigated especially through population-based large-scale studies.

Activities of daily living and its influencing factors for older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in urban communities of Fuzhou, China.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an independent risk factor for functional limitations among the older population. The predicted increase in T2DM cases combined with the ongoing rapidly aging population may further burden the already overloaded healthcare system and aggravate the loss of economic self-sufficiency. This study aimed to investigate the activities of daily living (ADL) and its influencing factors on older people with T2DM, and to provide implications for the development and improvement of community nursing services in the context rapidly aging population in China. Methods: From March 2019 to June 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey among older T2DM patients in Fuzhou, using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach. Functional status was measured by the Lawton ADL scale. Stata "nptrend" test was used to examine the trend of ordinal variables on ADL. Non-conditional logistic regression was used to identify factors affecting ADL limitations. Results: A total of 2016 questionnaires were received, with a response rate of 96%. 12.4% of participants suffered from varying degrees of functional impairment. ADL limitations increased with age. More comorbidities were associated with a greater risk of developing functional limitations in ADLs. the following sub-groups were more likely to suffer from ADL impairment: those aged 70 and over years (OR = 1.99, 95%CI 1.77-2.56), living in an aged care house or with spouse/children (OR = 2.31, 95%CI 1.25-4.26), low monthly income (OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.28-1.64), without health insurance (OR = 1.82, 95%CI 1.40-2.40), tight family expenses (OR = 1.95, 95%CI 1.42-2.69), having stroke (OR = 6.70, 95%CI 2.22-20.23) or malignant tumor (OR = 4.45, 95%CI 1.27-15.53), irregular eating habit (OR = 2.55, 95%CI 2.23-2.92), smoking (OR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.22-1.60), sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.04, 95%CI 1.46-2.85), lack of physical exercise (OR = 1.35, 95%CI 1.19-1.53), sleeping difficulty (OR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.10-1.42), and lack of family support (OR = 1.19, 95%CI 1.10-1.29). Conclusion: Older adults (≥70 years) with T2DM had a high prevalence of functional limitations across a range of daily living tasks, which not only affect individual life of quality but also present a huge burden on the family, health services system, and the whole society. Identified factors associated with ADL limitations may provide useful information for targeted nursing practice and health promotion.

[Risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus among the re-birth pregnant women in Xiamen City in 2015-2016].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the risk factors of the gestational diabetes mellitus( GDM) among the re-birth pregnant women. METHODS: A total of 393 pregnant women with GDM were collected randomly according to the number of the antenatal care manual in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Xiamen City. Meanwhile, 393 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance were chosen to be the control group matching withage of the GDM group. Their basic data would be analyzed, including the BMI before pregnancy, the degree of the education, the times of the abortion, the body weight gain during the pregnancy, their parental diabetes history, the birth weight of the last fetal, the history of GDM and so on. The two groups of people were re-birth pregnant women. RESULTS: Single factor analysis showed that among the GDM group, the total body weight gain before the 24 th week( 9. 11 ± 3. 09) kg and the proportion of their mothers with the DM( 64/393) were both higher than the control group( 7. 54 ± 2. 95) kg and( 38/393), however, the degree of the education was lower than the control group. Paired chi-square analysis showed that the history of macrosomia delivery( χ~2= 14. 297, P = 0. 001), the history of GDM( χ~2= 12. 938, P = 0. 001), and abortion history more than 2 times( χ~2=7. 078, P = 0. 010) were the risk factors of GDM for those women. Meanwhile, with the increasing of the fetal birth weight, the risk of being the GDM during the second pregnancy was also increasing. When the fetal birth weight reached 3. 8 kg, OR = 3. 467, the risk value reached a strong correlation. Multiple factors Logistic regression analysis showed those factors of GDM also had statistically significant differences, especially the bodyweight gain before the 24 th week over 10 kg played the most important role during the pregnancy( OR = 1. 875, P = 0. 001). CONCLUSION: The risk factors of the GDM for the re-birth pregnant women concluded the history of GDM, the history of macrosomia, the times of the abortion over twice, the bodyweight gain before the 24 th week over 10 kg, the low degree of the education, the pregnant women 's mother had the DM. For those pregnant women with fetal birth weight above 3. 8 kg, they should be included in the high risk population of GDM during the next pregnancy.

Development and validation of a new model of desirable dietary pattern (N-DDP) score for Chinese diets.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new model of desirable dietary pattern (N-DDP) score for Chinese diets and to validate it against the nutrient-rich foods (NRF) index. DESIGN: The N-DDP score model followed the principles of the traditional DDP (T-DDP) score model (DDP-China for 2000) proposed in 1991 and of food grouping in the dietary pagoda for Chinese residents in 2007, and made detailed ratings by expressing the food weight coefficient, reasonable maximum limit of the score and an algorithm of the deserved score for each group of foods after considering current nutritional problems of Chinese residents. The N-DDP score model was validated against the NRF9·3 index with linear regression analysis and compared with the T-DDP score model. Settings One set of dietary data was extracted from the diet recommended by the dietary pagoda for Chinese residents in 2007 and the literature on dietary surveys in China. The other two sets of dietary data were from a dietary survey in 2011. DDP scores for all three dietary data sets were calculated with the N-DDP score model and the T-DDP score model. SUBJECTS: All items of dietary records in the three dietary data sets were included in the present study. RESULTS: All DDP scores obtained with the N-DDP score model were positively correlated (P = 0·000) with the NRF9·3 index. DDP scores obtained with the N-DDP score model had higher R 2 with the NRF9·3 index than those of the T-DDP score model, as well as higher ß values. CONCLUSIONS: It can be considered that the N-DDP score is a more accurate and convenient tool to evaluate current individual and group diet for Chinese residents.

[Effect of the folic acid and vitamin B2 on the diabetes mellitus rats with diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship among the folic acid, vitamin B12 and diabetic nephropathy and to discuss the mechanism of the diabetic microangiopathy. METHODS: We selected 80 SD rats, and then divided them into 2 groups randomly. Those were the control group and the model groups. During the process of this study, the control group was fed with the normal animal feeds; the model groups were fed with the high calorie diets for 10 weeks. At the end of the tenth week, the rats of the model group were induced to diabetes mellitus by intraperitoneal injection with streptozocin 30mg/kg, and then we divided the diabetes mellitus rats into 4 groups which measured the levels of the blood fat (total cholesterin, triglyceride), Fins, FBG, SOD, MDA, GSH-Px. Results (1) Through feeding the rats with the special feeds for a long time, and then injecting with streptozocin can make them develop to be the diabetes mellitus. The model groups' levels of the triglyceride, the cholesterin and the random blood glucose were (1.07 +/- 0.27), (2.29 +/- 0.42), (21.12 +/- 4.21) mmol/L, respectively, those were significantly higher than the control group's levels which were (1.11 +/- 0.20), (0.68 +/- 0.11), (5.73 +/- 0.26) mmol/L (P < 0.05). (2) After given different interference, for the group of the diabetes mellitus rats that without fed with vitamin B12 and folic acid, the degree of the pathological change of kidney tissue was the most serious through the method of periodic acid-Schiff' s staining (PAS), and the level of the MDA was also highest (P < 0.05), the level of the GSH-Px was lowest (P < 0.05) during the all groups. What' s more, both of the folic acid and the vitamin B12 could reduce the increase of the 24hours urinary albumin, especially using the folic acid and the vitamin B12 together. CONCLUSION: Using the special feeds to feed the SD rats for ten weeks and then inject STZ (30 mg/kg) from abdominal cavity can make them develop to be the diabetes mellitus. The supplement with folic acid and vitamin B12 had the effect of protecting the capillary of the kidney from damage, and the mechanism may have something to do with the effect of anti-oxygenation.

Cost-effective production of Bacillus thuringiensis biopesticides by solid-state fermentation using wastewater sludge: effects of heavy metals.

This study demonstrated the feasibility to produce Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) based biopesticides using wastewater sludge as raw materials under solid-state fermentation (SSF). More than 10(10) CFU/g viable cells of Btk were obtained using sludge or its mixture with agricultural wastes. This study well considered the effect of heavy metals on Btk growth and their changes of chemical speciation caused by SSF. The IC(50) (concentration causing 50% inhibition in total cell biomass) for Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II) and Cr(III) on Btk were determined to be 227, 82, 15 and 263 mg/L, respectively. Exposure to 150 mg/L of Cu(II) severely reduced the amount and size of toxin crystals, which decreased the endotoxin synthesis and entomotoxicity potency of Btk cells. Using Tessier's sequential extraction procedure, the exchangeable heavy metals in sludge were shown to be transformed into residual fractions after SSF, and thus significantly reduced their bioavailability and potential environmental risks.

[Pregnancy weight gain and nutritional therapy on the outcome of gestational diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship of bodyweight gain and the occurrence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy, and analyze the effect of the nutritional therapy on the outcome of GDM. METHODS: We collected 265 pregnant women who were diagnosed to be GDM and 571 pregnant women as the control group in the Xiamen Maternal and Child Health Hospital during 2007 - 2009. The general information of the subjects were collected. The bodyweight of the subjects were measured before the 20(th) week of pregnancy, 26 - 27(th) week (mid-gestation), 35 - 36(th) week (late-gestation) of pregnancy and prior to delivery. The bodyweight gain of different pregnancy weeks of the two groups and the effect of bodyweight on GMD occurrence before 28(th) week of pregnancy were analyzed by ages (< 25, 25-, 30-, ≥ 35). Meanwhile, we prescribed the nutrition therapy to the GDM pregnant woman and the effect of the blood sugar control on the outcome of the pregnancy were evaluated. RESULTS: The bodyweight gain of 25-, 30-, older than 35 year-old subjects of the GDM group were (16.9 ± 6.3), (16.8 ± 6.1), (16.5 ± 6.0) kg, respectively, the bodyweight gain of the control group were (13.9 ± 3.0), (13.8 ± 2.7), (13.3 ± 2.7) kg (t = 6.259, 5.885, 3.533, respectively, all P values < 0.05). During the 20(th) to 27(th) week of the pregnancy, the bodyweight gain of the subjects younger than 25, 25-, 30-year-old in GDM group were (5.2 ± 1.0), (5.4 ± 1.7), (4.8 ± 1.3) kg, respectively, the bodyweight gain of the control group were (3.3 ± 1.3), (3.7 ± 1.6) and (3.5 ± 0.7) kg (t = 5.026, 9.659, 11.19, respectively, all P values < 0.05). During the period between 26(th) to 36(th) week, the bodyweight gain of subjects older than 35 year-old in GDP group was (3.6 ± 2.0) kg which was less than the control group ((4.0 ± 0.9) kg, t = -2.449, P < 0.05). 41.22% (54/131) and 44.94% (40/89) of 25-, 30-year-old subjects in GDM group showed bodyweight gain more than 13 kg, but 30.04% (76/253) and 26.07% (55/211) in the control group (OR values were 1.633 and 2.315, both P values < 0.05). The rate of the abnormal birth weight of the GDM group with blood sugar controlled and the control group were 6.6% (12/182) and 9.4% (54/571) which was lower than the GDP group with blood sugar control failure (20.5% (17/83)) (χ(2) values were 11.460, 9.119, respectively, both P values < 0.0125). The rate of premature delivery was 21.7%(18/83), higher than the control group (10.8%, 62/571) (χ(2) = 7.945, P < 0.0125). The rate of the cesarean in the control group was 25.4%(145/571) which was lower than the two GDM groups, including the group which the blood sugar was well controlled (46.7%, 85/182) and not well controlled (65.0%, 54/83) (χ(2) values were 29.540, 53.860, respectively, both P values < 0.0125). CONCLUSION: The bodyweight gain in the mid-gestation could affect the occurrence of GDM. The bodyweight gain should be less than 13 kg before 28(th) week of the pregnancy whose age was 25-year-old. Nutritional therapy and blood sugar control in GDM pregnant women could improve the pregnancy outcome.

Effect of central antileptin antibody on the onset of female rat puberty.

The effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) antileptin antibody on the onset of puberty in the female rat and the relationship between serum leptin, luteinizing hormone (LH), and body weight were investigated. Antileptin antibody (group A) was infused ICV from days 23-36 in prepubertal female rats whereas the control (group B) received ICV goat immunoglobulin G (IgG). In the antileptin group, mean day of vaginal opening (VO) was postponed (day 34 versus day 30, P < .01 ). Body weight trended higher after 30 days in the antileptin group but not significantly. However, there was no difference in serum leptin and LH between the two groups on the day of VO. Serum leptin was relatively constant from day 23 through day 31 and did not correlate with LH (r = 0.14, P = .10). These studies demonstrate that central leptin promotes the onset of female rat puberty as evidenced by VO. Finally, central leptin impacts female rat pubertal onset in distinction from serum leptin and body weight.

Micronutrient status in anemic and non-anemic Chinese women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a major nutrition related problem in China. In addition to iron deficiency this may be due to deficiencies of other micronutrients. OBJECTIVE: To describe the micronutrient status of anemic and non-anemic pregnant women in China. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 734 clinically normal pregnant women in the third trimester aged 20-35, were randomly recruited from the population of pregnant women regularly receiving pregnant examination in community medical centers. Serum concentrations of vitamins A, B12 and C, iron and zinc status parameters, and vitamin B2 in urine were determined. Subjects were categorized according to the presence or absence of anemia and compared according to micronutrient status. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of iron and micronutrients were significantly lower in anemic women than non-anemic women: serum iron 909 microg/L versus 1109 microg/L, ferritin 13.8 microg/L versus 19.6 microg/L, vitamin C 308.9 microg/L versus 388.1 microg/dL, and retinol 50.0 microg/dL versus 59.3 microg/dL. Zinc concentrations were also lower in anemic women. Subnormal serum iron (<700 microg/L) and iron depletion (ferritin <12 microg/L) were 39.7% and 52.6%, significantly more frequent in anemic than 23.9% and 35.0% in non-anemic subjects, as were subnormal vitamin A and ascorbic acid. Subnormal vitamin B2 and B12 were frequent in both anemic and non-anemic groups. CONCLUSION: Subnormal concentrations of iron and micronutrients in combination may contribute to this situation. Further studies on food-based or supplement-based approaches trying to increase intake of iron and certain vitamins are warranted to decrease anemia in pregnant Chinese women in the third trimester.

Comparison of serum levels of iron, zinc and copper in anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant women in China.

Zinc and copper deficiency is associated with anaemia or iron deficiency and affects fetus growth and pregnant women during pregnancy. To examine iron, zinc and copper status of Chinese pregnant women with and without anaemia in the third trimester, 1185 subjects were enrolled for measurements of Hb, ferritin, transferrin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and serum iron, zinc and copper. The results showed that there were lower levels of ferritin (14.1 microg/L) and transferrin (3.33 g/L) in subjects with Hbor=101 g/L. sTfR levels in subjects with Hbor=120 g/L (38.5 nmol/L vs. 25.04 nmol/L, P<0.001). Serum iron was lower in subjects with Hbor=120 g/L (871 microg/L vs. 990 microg/L, P<0.01). Lower levels of serum iron and zinc were also found in anaemic (Hb<110 g/L) as compared with non-anaemic women (Hb>or=110 g/L). Frequencies of marginal deficiencies in serum iron and zinc were 41.58% and 51.05% respectively higher in anaemic than in non-anaemic subjects. Distribution of serum zinc and iron showed a decreasing trend as Hb decreased. Few anaemic as well as non-anaemic subjects had copper deficiency although copper and Hb levels were found inversely correlated and the ratio of copper/iron was higher in anaemic than in non-anaemic group. In conclusion, a lower level of serum zinc in anaemic pregnant women might be related to anaemia and iron deficiency during pregnancy. Therefore, combined zinc and iron supplementation should be recommended to Chinese pregnant women, especially those with anaemia.

The multiple vitamin status of Chinese pregnant women with anemia and nonanemia in the last trimester.

Iron-deficiency or anemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem in China. This cross-sectional study was carried out to observe the association between iron status and multiple vitamin levels of Chinese pregnant women in the third trimester. We measured iron, ascorbic acid, retinol, folate and vitamin B12 in serum, and riboflavin in urine specimens of 1,163 pregnant women in four sites throughout rural and city areas in China. Based on hemoglobin concentrations (Hb), the subjects were divided into an anemia group with Hb < 110 g/L or Hb < or = 100 g/L as severe anemia group, and nonanemia group with Hb > or = 110 g/L. Results showed that 41.58% of the population with serum iron < 700 microg/L and 51.04% of the population with ferritin < 12 microg/L in the anemia group, percentages that were much higher than those in the nonanemia group. Relationships between five vitamins and hemoglobin concentrations of all subjects were observed. There was a lower level of serum ascorbic acid (291.05 microg/dL) in the Hb < or = 100 g/L group than in the Hb > or = 120 g/L group (487.79 microg/dL) (p < 0.001). Serum levels of vitamin B12 and folate were 445.67 pg/mL and 5.94 ng/mL in the Hb < or = 100 g/L group, whose levels were much lower than the levels of 502.01 pg/mL (p < 0.012) and 8.07 ng/mL (p < 0.010) respectively in the Hb > or = 120 g/L group. Further, cross-sectional analysis showed positive correlations between abnormal hematological results and prevalences of vitamin deficiencies. The subjects with iron-deficiency anemia had much higher rates of vitamin C, folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies than those in the nonanemic subjects, and especially in the deficient rates of ascorbic acid and folate in the anemia (Hb < 110 g/L) group, which reached 64.04% and 22.70% respectively. Moreover, we observed that the decreasing trends of hemoglobin concentrations were accompanied by the decreases of serum levels of vitamin A, ascorbic acid, folate and vitamin B12. In conclusion, multiple vitamin deficiencies, especially ascorbic acid, retinol and folic acid, may be associated with anemia or iron deficiency in pregnant women in the last trimester. The study suggested that anemic pregnant women in China should be supplemented with iron and multiple vitamins simultaneously.

Iron status and dietary intake of Chinese pregnant women with anaemia in the third trimester.

Anaemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem in China. Anaemia in pregnant women may be related to dietary intake of nutrients. To examine the relationship between iron status and dietary nutrients, a cross-sectional study in pregnant women was carried out. The intake of foods and food ingredients were surveyed by using 24-h dietary recall. Blood haemoglobin, haematocrit, serum iron, serum ferritin, transferrin and soluble transferrin receptor were measured in 1189 clinically normal pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The results showed that the average daily intake of rice and wheat was 504.2 g in the anaemia group and 468.6 g in the normal group. Carbohydrates accounted for 63.69% and 63.09% of energy in the anaemia and normal groups, respectively. Intake of fat was very low; 18.38% of energy in anaemia group and 19.23% of energy in normal group. Soybean intake was 109.4 g/day and 63.6 g/day in the anaemia and normal groups, respectively (P < 0.001). There were lower intakes of green vegetables (172.1 g/day) and fruits (154.9 g/day) in the anaemia group than in the normal group (246.2 g/day green vegetables (P < 0.001) and 196.4 g/day fruit (P < 0.001)). Intakes of retinol and ascorbic acid were much lower in the anaemia than in the normal group (P < 0.001). In the anaemia group, vitamin A intake was only 54.76% of the Chinese recommended daily allowance (RDA) and ascorbic acid intake was 53.35% of the Chinese RDA. Intake of total vitamin E was 14.55 mg/day in the anaemia group compared with 17.35 mg/day in the normal group (P < 0.016). Moreover, intake of iron in pregnant women with anaemia was slightly lower than that in the normal group. Comparison of iron status between the anaemia and normal groups found serum iron in women with anaemia at 0.89 microg/L, which was significantly lower than 1.09 microg/L in the normal group (P < 0.001). There were lower average values of ferritin (14.70) microg/L) and transferrin (3.34 g/L) in the anaemia group than in the normal group (20.40 microg/L ferritin (P < 0.001) and 3.44 g/L transferrin (P < 0.001)). Soluble transferrin receptor was significantly higher (32.90 nmol/L) in the anaemia than in the normal group (23.58 nmol/L; P < 0.001). The results of this study indicate that anaemia might be attributed to a low iron intake, a low intake of enhancers of iron absorption and a high intake of inhibitors of iron absorption from a traditional Chinese diet rich in grains.