Maternal diet, LCPUFA status and prematurity in Indian mothers: A cross-sectional study | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 2 No. 11 (2012): November 2012 / Research Articles Maternal diet, LCPUFA status and prematurity in Indian mothers: A cross-sectional study Authors Prachi S. Ranade Biometry and Nutrition unit, Animal Science Division, Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune-411004 Shobha S. Rao Biometry and Nutrition unit, Animal Science Division, Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune-411004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v2i11.73 Abstract Background: Recently, certain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) have been shown to exert functional benefits with regards to gestational length. The present study examined the association of maternal LCPUFA intake, specifically Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Arachidonic acid (ARA), and plasma status at delivery with duration of gestation and risk of premature delivery in Indian mothers. Methods: In a cross-sectional nested case-control study, 191 mother-baby pairs [164 Full term (FT) and 27 Preterm (PT)] were examined for differences in maternal habitual diet pattern and plasma fatty acid composition in relation to the length of gestation. Results: The frequency of intake of n-3 fatty acid rich varieties of fish was higher (p<0.05) in FT mothers compared to PT mothers. Maternal plasma fatty acid concentration of n-3 Alpha Linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), DHA and total n-3 fatty acids at delivery was significantly associated with intake of vegetarian ALA sources such as millets, dark whole pulses, dry fruits like walnuts, and green leafy vegetables. Among age, parity, and neonatal sex matched case-control pairs, PT mothers had significantly (p<0.01) higher levels of n-6 ARA, but lower (p<0.01) levels of n-3 DHA and total n-3 fatty acids compared to FT mothers irrespective of socioeconomic group. In fact, mothers with plasma DHA levels below median (<3.0%) had ten times higher risk (OR-10.47; 95% CI: 3.03-36.48) of delivering prematurely compared to those who had plasma DHA levels above median. Conclusion: Results underscore the importance of consuming varied sources of ALA and DHA for their role as functional lipids in determining gestational length. Key words: LCPUFA, maternal diet, omega 3, DHA, preterm birth, relative risk Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2012-11-16 Issue Vol. 2 No. 11 (2012): November 2012 Section Research Articles License Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com