Abstract 073: A Mediterranean Diet Pattern Is Associated With Lower Risk Of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes In US Women: Results From The NuMoM2b Cohort

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). While the Mediterranean diet pattern has been inversely related to CVD outcomes, its association with APOs in US women has not been previously evaluated. Hypothesis: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern during the periconception period is associated with lower risk of APOs. Methods: Racially and ethnically diverse women (n=8075, mean age: 27±6y) from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-be (nuMoM2b) cohort were enrolled across 8 US medical centers from 2010-13. An Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMed) score was computed from data on habitual diet in the 3 months around conception, assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire in the first trimester. APOs were prospectively ascertained and defined as developing 1 or more of the following: gestational hypertension, preeclampsia/eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, small for gestational age, or stillbirth. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations of the aMed score and its components with any APO and individual APOs. Results: Women in the highest vs. lowest quintile of the aMed score had 21% lower odds of developing any APO, and 36% and 52% lower odds of preeclampsia/eclampsia and gestational diabetes, respectively; a linear trend across aMed score categories was detected (p-trend<0.05) ( Figure ). When aMed score components were examined separately, higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fish and lower intakes of red meat were related to up to 26% lower odds of APOs. Conclusions: Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern is related to lower risk of APOs, with evidence of a dose-response relationship, highlighting the potential of this diet pattern in CVD primordial prevention efforts in US women. Long-term studies are needed to assess whether dietary modification in the periconception period can reduce risk of APOs and future CVD.