RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTHERS AND NEWBORNS NUTRITIONAL AND BLOOD LIPIDVARIABLES

Objective: To study the relation between anthropometry, diet and blood lipids during pregnancy and anthropometry and cord blood lipids in ne wborns. Design: Longitudinal study during pregnancy. Setting: Populati on study. Subjects: A group of 70 volunteer pregnant women attending t he Maternity Advisory Service were recruited at the 1st trimester and studied during pregnancy. By the end of the study 17 women had dropped out of anthropometry and diet assessments and 21 had left blood lipid analysis. Anthropometric measurements and cord blood lipid determinat ions were carried out respectively on 43 and 28 newborns. Intervention s: Diet history; current methods for anthropometry and blood lipid det erminations. Results: The highest values for energy and other nutrient intakes were observed at the 2nd trimester. According to the recommen dations usually made, protein and fat intakes were high, and carbohydr ate intake too low. This was observed especially at the 3rd trimester. Significant relationships between protein, fat and carbohydrate intak e (as a percentage of energy) during pregnancy and anthropometric vari ables in newborns and cord blood lipids (particularly for boys) were f ound in the group of mothers and their respective newborns. Few correl ations between mothers' and newborns' levels of blood lipids were obse rved for girls. Conclusions: The results do not show considerable diet changes during pregnancy. The impact of mothers' diet on fat depositi on in newborns and cord blood lipids seems to be sex-linked and more i mportant for boys.