title: Data collected on maternal dietary exposures in the Danish National Birth Cohort.
abstract: Recent research suggests that the diet consumed in, or shortly before, pregnancy can potentially lead to maldevelopment and diseases in the offspring, which may become apparent at any time from the embryonic stage until old age. For example, maternal diet may affect the chance of twinning (and associated complications), malformation risk, brain development, and the offspring's fecundity and risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases and cancer in adult life. Prospectively designed longitudinal studies with sufficient size and data quality are much needed to substantiate or refute these hypotheses. At present, the Danish National Birth Cohort is likely to be the largest epidemiological database containing extensive information on maternal dietary exposures. By October 2002, 100 000 women had been recruited in early pregnancy, for long-term follow-up of themselves and their offspring. The present paper details the information available in the database on early nutritional exposures with emphasis on maternal dietary intake. We also present distributions of selected nutritional exposures.
authors.affiliation: Maternal Nutrition Group, Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark. sfo@soci.au.dk
authors.forename: Sjúrdur Fródi
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Tina Broby
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Mikkelsen
authors.forename: Vibeke Kildegaard
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: Ivanka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Orozova-Bekkevold
authors.forename: Thórhallur Ingi
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Halldórsson
authors.forename: Marin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strøm
authors.forename: Marie Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Osterdal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D015930:Diet Records; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects