TY - JOUR

T1 - Adherence to different forms of plant-based diets and pregnancy outcomes in the Danish National Birth Cohort

T2 - A prospective observational study

AU - Hedegaard, Signe

AU - Nohr, Ellen Aagaard

AU - Olsen, Sjurdur Frodi

AU - Halldorsson, Thorhallur Ingvi

AU - Renault, Kristina Martha

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Introduction: The number of people adhering to plant-based diets has been increasing dramatically in recent years, fueled by both environmental and animal welfare concerns. Beneficial or possible adverse consequences of such diets, particularly the most restrictive forms during pregnancy, have been minimally explored. The aim of this prospective observational study was to examine associations between different forms of plant-based diets during pregnancy with birth outcomes and pregnancy complications. Material and methods: The Danish National Birth Cohort included 100 413 pregnancies to 91 381 women in 1996–2002. The population consisted of 66 738 pregnancies, about which sufficient dietary data were available and included in the study. Dietary and supplemental intake was assessed by Food Frequency Questionnaire in gestational week 25 and women were characterized as fish/poultry-vegetarians, lacto/ovo-vegetarians, vegans or omnivorous, based on their self-report in gestational week 30. Main outcome measures were pregnancy and birth complications, birth weight and small for gestational age. Results: A total of 98.7% (n = 65 872) of participants were defined as omnivorous, whereas 1.0% (n = 666), 0.3% (n = 183) and 0.03% (n = 18) identified themselves as fish/poultry vegetarians, lacto/ovo-vegetarians or vegans, respectively. Protein intake was lower among lacto/ovo-vegetarians (13.3%) and vegans (10.4%) than among omnivorous participants (15.4%). Intake of micronutrients was also considerably lower among vegans, but when dietary supplements were taken into consideration, no major differences were observed. Compared with omnivorous mothers, vegans had a higher prevalence of preeclampsia and their offspring had on average −240 g (95% confidence interval −450 to −30) lower birth weight. Conclusions: The women reporting that they adhered to vegan diets during pregnancy had offspring with lower mean birth weight and higher risk of preeclampsia compared with omnivorous mothers. Low protein intake might be one plausible explanation for the observed association with birth weight.

AB - Introduction: The number of people adhering to plant-based diets has been increasing dramatically in recent years, fueled by both environmental and animal welfare concerns. Beneficial or possible adverse consequences of such diets, particularly the most restrictive forms during pregnancy, have been minimally explored. The aim of this prospective observational study was to examine associations between different forms of plant-based diets during pregnancy with birth outcomes and pregnancy complications. Material and methods: The Danish National Birth Cohort included 100 413 pregnancies to 91 381 women in 1996–2002. The population consisted of 66 738 pregnancies, about which sufficient dietary data were available and included in the study. Dietary and supplemental intake was assessed by Food Frequency Questionnaire in gestational week 25 and women were characterized as fish/poultry-vegetarians, lacto/ovo-vegetarians, vegans or omnivorous, based on their self-report in gestational week 30. Main outcome measures were pregnancy and birth complications, birth weight and small for gestational age. Results: A total of 98.7% (n = 65 872) of participants were defined as omnivorous, whereas 1.0% (n = 666), 0.3% (n = 183) and 0.03% (n = 18) identified themselves as fish/poultry vegetarians, lacto/ovo-vegetarians or vegans, respectively. Protein intake was lower among lacto/ovo-vegetarians (13.3%) and vegans (10.4%) than among omnivorous participants (15.4%). Intake of micronutrients was also considerably lower among vegans, but when dietary supplements were taken into consideration, no major differences were observed. Compared with omnivorous mothers, vegans had a higher prevalence of preeclampsia and their offspring had on average −240 g (95% confidence interval −450 to −30) lower birth weight. Conclusions: The women reporting that they adhered to vegan diets during pregnancy had offspring with lower mean birth weight and higher risk of preeclampsia compared with omnivorous mothers. Low protein intake might be one plausible explanation for the observed association with birth weight.

KW - Danish National Birth Cohort

KW - diet

KW - pregnancy outcomes

KW - vegans

KW - vegetarians

U2 - 10.1111/aogs.14778

DO - 10.1111/aogs.14778

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38263894

AN - SCOPUS:85183007046

VL - 103

SP - 1046

EP - 1053

JO - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

JF - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

SN - 0001-6349

IS - 6

ER -