title: A randomized longitudinal dietary intervention study during pregnancy: effects on fish intake, phospholipids, and body composition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fish and meat intake may affect gestational weight gain, body composition and serum fatty acids. We aimed to determine whether a longitudinal dietary intervention during pregnancy could increase fish intake, affect serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain and body composition changes during pregnancy in women of normal weight participating in the Pregnancy Obesity Nutrition and Child Health study. A second aim was to study possible effects in early pregnancy of fish intake and meat intake, respectively, on serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain, and body composition changes during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective, randomized controlled study, women were allocated to a control group or to a dietary counseling group that focused on increasing fish intake. Fat mass and fat-free mass were measured by air-displacement plethysmography. Reported intake of fish and meat was collected from a baseline population and from a subgroup of women who participated in each trimester of their pregnancies. Serum levels of phospholipid arachidonic acid (s-ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (s-EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (s-DHA) were measured during each trimester.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weekly fish intake increased only in the intervention group (n = 18) from the first to the second trimester (median difference 113 g, p = 0.03) and from the first to the third trimester (median difference 75 g, p = 0.01). In the first trimester, fish intake correlated with s-EPA (r = 0.36, p = 0.002, n = 69) and s-DHA (r = 0.34, p = 0.005, n = 69), and meat intake correlated with s-ARA (r = 0.28, p = 0.02, n = 69). Fat-free mass gain correlated with reported meat intake in the first trimester (r = 0.39, p = 0.01, n = 45).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary counseling throughout pregnancy could help women increase their fish intake. Intake of meat in early pregnancy may increase the gain in fat-free mass during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. marja.bosaeus@neuro.gu.se.
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bosaeus
authors.forename: Aysha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hulthén
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svelander
authors.forename: Ann-Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ellegård
authors.forename: Agneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holmäng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008460:Meat; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017747:Seafood; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid