LAUSR

This study aims to identify the associations between maternal dietary patterns and the risks of low birth weight (≤ 10th percentile). A total of 1,751 mothers and their newborns recruited for the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health cohort study between 2006 and 2010. A semiquantitative FFQ for nutrient intakes was collected and dietary patterns were derived using Reduced Rank Regression (RRR). A total of 138 food items were categorized into 40 pre-defined food groups. In this study, log transformed maternal intakes of folate, iron, and zinc were selected as the intermediate response variables based on the associations with birth weight. Associations were assessed by logistic regression with adjustment for confounding factors. All of energy and nutrient intakes of dietary pattern 1, characterized by high intakes of grain, green/yellow, and light-colored vegetables, legumes, fruits, red meat, poultry, eggs, fishes, seaweeds, tofu/soymilk, yogurt, and nuts significantly increased as the from quartile one to quartile four. Biochemical marker levels such as triglyceride, C-reactive protein, and malondialdehyde levels were significantly decreased from quartile one to quartile four in pattern 1. Pregnant women, who adhered to pattern 1 had a lower risk of low weight at birth in the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile (adjusted odds ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.32–0.95). No association was observed for pattern 2(green/yellow vegetables, light-colored vegetables, kimchi, and seaweeds) and 3(grains, milk, and yogurt) with low weight at birth. Mothers who practiced good nutrition such as various food groups were likely to have a lower risk of low weight at birth. This study was the first to use a birth cohort to investigate the association between maternal dietary pattern and low weight at birth using RRR method, which highlights the important role of whole foods or quality of nutrients during pregnancy. This research was supported by the BK21 FOUR (Fostering Outstanding Universities for Research) funded by the Ministry of Education(MOE, Korea) and National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF).