Associations of prenatal and early life dietary inflammatory potential with childhood adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in Project Viva.

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists regarding the association between early-life diet and cardiometabolic risk.

OBJECTIVES: Examine associations of dietary inflammatory index (DII) in pregnancy and early childhood (3-5 years) with adiposity, blood pressure and metabolic markers in mid-childhood (6-10 years).

METHODS: Among 992 mother-child pairs from Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort, we examined associations of DII scores with outcomes using multivariable linear regression adjusted for child age and sex and maternal age, BMI, education, parity, smoking, race and income.

RESULTS: Mean (SD) maternal DII in pregnancy was -2.6(1.4) units and in child DII in early childhood was 0.3(0.7). Mean mid-childhood BMI z-score was 0.40(0.98) units. In boys only, DII in early childhood was associated with higher BMIz (adjusted β = 0.16 units per unit DII, 95%CI 0.02, 0.29), waist circumference (0.93 cm; -0.07, 1.92) and skin fold thicknesses (1.12 mm; 0.01, 2.23). Dietary inflammatory index in the highest quartiles during both pregnancy and in early childhood, compared to the lowest quartiles, was associated with higher waist circumference (2.4 cm; 0.14, 4.6) in all children, and BMIz in boys (0.78 units; 0.34, 1.22). Associations with BP and metabolic markers were null.

CONCLUSIONS: A pro-inflammatory diet in pregnancy and early childhood may promote the development of adiposity.