An Observational Study On Ca Supplementation And Dietary Intake During Pregnancy On Low Birth Weight And Small For Gestational Age

Objective:To evaluate the effects of dietary Ca intake and Ca supplementation during pregnancy on low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) infants.Design:A birth cohort study was conducted in 2010-2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital in Lanzhou, China.Setting:A birth cohort study.Participants:Totally, 9595 pregnant women who came to the hospital for delivery at 20 weeks of gestation or more, and who were 18 years of age or older.Results:Compared with non-users, Ca supplement users had a reduced risk of LBW infants (OR = 0 center dot 77, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 63, 0 center dot 95) and a reduced risk of nulliparous women giving birth to LBW infants (OR = 0 center dot 75, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 58, 0 center dot 98) (P < 0 center dot 05). More specifically, both the use of Ca supplement before conception and during pregnancy (OR = 0 center dot 44, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 19, 0 center dot 99) and during pregnancy only (OR = 0 center dot 80, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 65, 0 center dot 99) had the main effect of reducing risk of nulliparous women giving birth to LBW infants (P < 0 center dot 05). There was no association between Ca supplementation and SGA (OR = 0 center dot 87, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 75, 1 center dot 01) (P > 0 center dot 05). However, higher dietary Ca intake during pregnancy decreases the risk of both LBW (quartile 2: OR = 0 center dot 72, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 55, 0 center dot 94; quartile 3: OR = 0 center dot 68, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 50, 0 center dot 62) and SGA infants (quartile 2: OR = 0 center dot 77, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 63, 0 center dot 95; quartile 3: OR = 0 center dot 71, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 57, 0 center dot 88, quartile 4: OR = 0 center dot 71, 95 % CI: 0 center dot 57, 0 center dot 88) (P < 0 center dot 05).Conclusions:Ca supplementation and adequate dietary intake of Ca during pregnancy are associated with a decreased risk of LBW infants born to nulliparous women.