Maternal iron intake during pregnancy and the risk of small for gestational age
Bibliographic Data
Studies of iron and its association with the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) show inconsistent results. Consuming iron supplements during pregnancy is controversial because of possible risks. This study assessed the association between iron intake and the risk of having an SGA newborn and whether iron intake is associated with gestational diabetes. A case-control study of 518 pairs of Spanish women who were pregnant and attending five hospitals was conducted. Groups were matched 1:1 for age (±2 years) and hospital. Cases were women with an SGA newborn at delivery. Controls were women with normal-sized newborns at delivery. Data were gathered on demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, adverse habits (like smoking), and diet. A 137-item food frequency questionnaire was completed. Iron intakes were categorized in quintiles (Q1-Q5). Crude odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted ORs (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by conditional logistic regression. No significant relationship was found between dietary iron intake and SGA. A protective association was found for women receiving iron supplementation >40 mg/day and SGA versus women not taking supplements (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI [0.42, 0.99]). This association was identified in mothers both with (aOR = 0.57, 95% CI [0.40, 0.81]) and without (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI [0.64, 0.97]) anaemia. In women in the control group without anaemia, iron supplementation >40 mg/day was positively associated with gestational diabetes (aOR = 6.32, 95% CI [1.97, 20.23]). Iron supplementation in pregnancy may prevent SGA independently of existing anaemia but may also increase the risk of gestational diabetes
Gestational age · Obstetrics · Pregnancy · Small for gestational age · Birth, Development, and Health · Iron Metabolism and Disorders · Medicine · Nutritional Studies and Diet
Nutritional Epidemiology
Inappropriate use of bivariable analysis to screen risk factors for use in multivariable analysis
The Impact of Confounder Selection Criteria on Effect Estimation
Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire in Spain
Simulation Study of Confounder-Selection Strategies
Diet in pregnancy and risk of small for gestational age birth
Maternal iron intake during pregnancy and the risk of small for gestational age
Reproducibility of an FFQ validated in Spain
Iron but not folic acid supplementation reduces the risk of low birthweight in pregnant women without anaemia
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2019 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |