HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 89/4/1114    most recent ajcn.2008.27097v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Baker, P. N Articles by Poston, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Baker, P. N Articles by Poston, L. Agricola Articles by Baker, P. N Articles by Poston, L.

A prospective study of micronutrient status in adolescent pregnancy

¹ From the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group, School of Laboratory and Clinical Sciences, University of Manchester, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom (PNB and RLJ); the Nutritional Sciences Division (SJW, TAS, and JET) and the Division of Reproduction and Endocrinology (CJH, PTS, and LP), King's College London, London, United Kingdom; and School of Social Sciences (KC) and the Vitamin D Research Group (JLB), University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.

² Supported by a grant from the UK Big Lottery Fund (RG/1/010095117) administered through Tommy's the Baby Charity (registration no. 1060508), which also provided additional funding.

³ Reprints not available. Address correspondence to L Poston, Maternal and Fetal Research Unit, KCL Division of Reproduction and Endocrinology, 10th Floor, North Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom. E-mail: lucilla.poston{at}kcl.ac.uk.

Background: Adolescents are more likely than adults to consume energy-dense, micronutrient-poor diets and to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objectives: The objectives were to assess micronutrient intake and blood biomarkers prospectively in pregnant adolescents recruited to the About Teenage Eating (ATE) Study and to determine associations with pregnancy outcome.

Design: Pregnant adolescents (n = 500) were recruited from 2 UK inner city populations. Dietary intake was assessed with three 24-h dietary recalls, and micronutrient status was assessed by measurement of third trimester blood biomarkers. Pregnancy outcomes included small-for-gestational age (SGA) birth and preterm delivery.

Results: Median iron and folate intakes were lower than UK and US recommended amounts. Folate and vitamin B-12 status were lower in smokers, despite no differences in dietary intake. Serum folate was <7.0 nmol/L in 12% of subjects, and serum total homocysteine (tHcy) was elevated (>10 µmol/L) in 20% of subjects. Fifty-two percent of the subjects had iron deficiency anemia, and 30% had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations <25 nmol/L. The incidence of SGA birth was higher in subjects with poorer folate status (red blood cell folate, P = 0.003; serum folate, P = 0.02; tHcy, P = 0.01; simple regression) and those with low folate intakes, regardless of the inclusion (P = 0.021) or exclusion (P = 0.049) of intake from supplements (simple regression). Adjustment for confounding variables confirmed the independence of these associations. The risk of SGA birth was also higher in subjects with low food iron intake (P = 0.049), but not when intake included iron from supplements (P = 0.21). The risk of SGA birth was lower in subjects with iron deficiency anemia (P = 0.002).

Conclusion: Poor micronutrient intake and status increase the risk of SGA births in pregnant adolescents.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. M. Nilsen, S. E. Vollset, A. L. B. Monsen, A. Ulvik, M. Haugen, H. M. Meltzer, P. Magnus, and P. M. Ueland Infant Birth Size Is Not Associated with Maternal Intake and Status of Folate during the Second Trimester in Norwegian Pregnant Women J. Nutr., March 1, 2010; 140(3): 572 - 579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]