Nutrition study to look at physical and mental health of pregnant women and babies

In what will be the biggest study in the world examining pregnant women's nutrition and the development of children researchers at the University of Alberta are looking for 10,000 pregnant women.

"We're looking for 5,000 pregnant women in Edmonton and 5,000 in Calgary," said Catherine Field, one of the main researchers involved in the $5 million study that will take five years to complete.

Researchers will be examining how a pregnant woman's nutrient intake affects the fetal environment and the fetus' mental and physical health, as well as the mother's physical and mental health.

In developed countries, it's often assumed that people have adequate nutritional intake. However, nutrient deficiencies are very common and the impact of poor diet is magnified during pregnancy.

"A woman's nutrient needs increase during both pregnancy and breastfeeding due to extra demands from the developing fetus," said Field. "Studies have indicated that the fetal environment has long-lasting health effects on the fetus."

Previous research has demonstrated an association between nutrient inadequacies and mental health. Although nutrition is well accepted as being important during pregnancy, its impact on the mental health of pregnant women has not been well investigated.

Pregnant women who volunteer to participate in this study will be asked to check in with the researchers once a trimester and then once the baby is two or three months old.

Periodically throughout their pregnancy, participants will complete questionnaires designed to assess their nutrition and mental health and provide blood and urine samples, which will be used to determine nutrient levels. After birth, the baby's physical and mental development will be regularly evaluated.

"The child part is probably where the big payoff is [for participants]," Field said. "We're going to do a whole series of neuro-cognitive development studies on a cohort of people who are willing for their children to come in. They will get all the results of those tests gone over by a psychologist. If there is any concern, they will be directed to help for that."

Although researchers want to look in total at the maternal diet, special attention will be paid to long-chain n-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, iron and iodine, all of which are important for the development of the fetus.

Study results may lead to educational or interventionist policies to help women consume a nutritious diet during pregnancy. Results will also be valuable for future researchers as surprisingly few studies look at pregnant women.

"A lot of studies start when the baby is born," Field said. "There are quite a few studies that are following cohorts of babies and they try to estimate what the women consumed during pregnancy, but they won't have the detailed data we have. This may be a rich database for many people to look at with questions completely different from ours."

In Edmonton, volunteers will be asked to go to the University of Alberta. In Calgary, the work will be conducted at Alberta Children's Hospital.

Field and her group are working in conjunction with the U of A's Women and Children's Health Research Institute, which is conducting other pregnancy-related research.

To participate in the study or, for more information, please contact Jacqueline Jumpsen at 780-240-1133 or visit www.apronstudy.ca .

Source: University of Alberta