Planta Medica International Open 2017; 4(S 01): S1-S202
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1608303
Lecture Session – Phytopharmacology/Extract Pharmacology I
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Organic food consumption during pregnancy is associated with different food intake and health-related characteristics: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study

APS Simões-Wüst
1   Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2   Research Department, Clinic Arlesheim, Arlesheim, Switzerland
,
C Moltó-Puigmartí
3   Maastricht University, Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht, Netherlands
,
E Jansen
4   Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands
,
M van Dongen
3   Maastricht University, Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht, Netherlands
,
P Dagnelie
3   Maastricht University, Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht, Netherlands
5   Maastricht University, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Disease, Maastricht, Netherlands
,
C Thijs
3   Maastricht University, Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht, Netherlands
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
24 October 2017 (online)

 

To find out how the consumption of organic food during pregnancy is associated with macro- and micronutrient intakes and levels of several maternal blood biomarkers.

Pregnant women were recruited at midwives' practices and through channels related to consumption of food from organic origin. For this cross-sectional description, participants who filled in questionnaires on food frequency in gestational week 34 (n = 2786) were considered; thereof 1339 donated a blood sample and could be considered in the biomarkers analysis.

Compared with participants consuming no organic food (reference group), intake of retinol, carotene, tocopherol and folate was higher among participants consuming organic food (organic groups), whereas intake of vitamin D and B12 was lower. Furthermore, intake of trans fatty acids from natural origin (vaccenic acid and conjugated linoleic acids, CLA) was higher in the organic groups than in the reference group, whereas intake of elaidic acid, a marker of the intake of trans fatty acids found in industrially hydrogenated fats, was lower. Comparable differences were seen when the plasma biomarkers were investigated in the subgroup of participants who donated a blood sample. Here, a marker of dairy products intake (pentadecanoic acid) as well as vaccenic and rumenic acid (the major CLA) were higher in the organic groups, and elaidic acid was lower. Levels of homocysteine and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were lower in the organic groups than in the reference group. Most differences were seen even in groups with low consumption of organic food.

Various types of food intake are associated with the consumption of organic food during pregnancy and are in line with different levels of plasma biomarkers. Food patterns accompanying the consumption of organic food are likely to play a major role in the observed associations.