Abstract: (5632 Views)
Objective(s): To investigate the role of low dietary intake of zinc and iron in early pregnancy on birth weight.
Methods: In a prospective longitudinal study, 218 pregnant women with low risk pregnancies were studied. Using the Iranian version of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) before 20 weeks of gestation, intake of dietary iron, zinc and energy were measured and the relationship with birth weight was assessed using linear regression model.
Results: The mean age of mothers studied was 26.5 (±4.28) years, 61.9% were nulliparous. About 9% of newborns had a birth weight less than 2500 g. Inadequate dietary intake (less than 75% of the recommended daily allowance-RDA) of zinc and iron was seen in 52.8 and 86.2 mothers respectively. Linear regression analysis showed that dietary intake of zinc (P<0.001), parity (P: 0.049) and gestational age at delivery (P<0.001) could predict birth weight.
Conclusion: The findings indicated a relatively high rate of poor dietary intake of iron and zinc in the pregnant women that had significant impact on birth weight even in early pregnancy.
type of study:
Descriptive |
Accepted: 2011/03/6 | ePublished ahead of print: 2011/04/24 | Published: 2012/01/15