Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Nutrition during the early life cycle

Grain consumption before and during pregnancy and birth weight in Japan: the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 76, pages 261–269 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Studies have reported the effects of grain consumption on human health, but the association between maternal grain consumption before and during pregnancy and birth weight remains unclear. We evaluated the association between maternal grain consumption before and during pregnancy and birth weight/low birth weight (LBW).

Subjects/Methods

Grain consumption was calculated using two semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). The two FFQs evaluated consumption from pre- to early pregnancy and then from early to mid-pregnancy, respectively. Information concerning birth weight was obtained from birth records, and multivariable analyses for birth weight and LBW risk were conducted after adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

In total, 17,610 pregnant women (age, 31.8 ± 4.9 years; smoked during pregnancy, 16.1%; gestation period, 38.5 ± 2.5 weeks; first childbirth, 45.5%) and their singleton and term new-borns (birth weight, 3061.8 ± 354.1 g; LBW, 5.4%) were included in the analysis. Women in the highest quartile of grain consumption from pre- to early pregnancy had heavier new-borns (β = 22.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.8–38.9) but did not have a significantly lower LBW risk (odds ratio [OR]: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.71–1.07) than women in the lowest quartile. Women in the highest quartile of grain consumption from early to mid-pregnancy also had heavier new-borns (β = 24.1; 95% CI: 7.1–41.1) but did not have a significantly lower LBW risk (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.69–1.05) than women in the lowest quartile.

Conclusions

Grain consumption before and during pregnancy was positively associated with birth weight.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Flow chart of participant exclusion criteria in this study.

References

  1. Francis JH, Permezel M, Davey MA. Perinatal mortality by birthweight centile. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2014;54:354–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Grissom NM, Reyes TM. Gestational overgrowth and undergrowth affect neurodevelopment: similarities and differences from behavior to epigenetics. Int J Dev Neurosci. 2013;31:406–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Barker DJ. The developmental origins of chronic adult disease. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 2004;93:26–33.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nilsson PM, Ostergren PO, Nyberg P, Söderström M, Allebeck P. Low birth weight is associated with elevated systolic blood pressure in adolescence: a prospective study of a birth cohort of 149378 Swedish boys. J Hypertens. 1997;15:1627–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Mu M, Wang SF, Sheng J, Zhao Y, Li HZ, Hu CL, et al. Birth weight and subsequent blood pressure: a meta-analysis. Arch Cardiovasc Dis. 2012;105:99–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Mori M, Mori H, Yamori Y, Tsuda K. Low birth weight as cardiometabolic risk in Japanese high school girls. J Am Coll Nutr. 2012;31:39–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Sugihara S, Sasaki N, Amemiya S, Kohno H, Tanaka T, Matsuura N. Analysis of weight at birth and at diagnosis of childhood-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan. Pediatr Diabetes. 2008;9:285–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Valero De Bernabé J, Soriano T, Albaladejo R, Juarranz M, Calle ME, Martínez D, et al. Risk factors for low birth weight: a review. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2004;116:3–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. OECD. Health at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2019.

  10. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OECD Family Database. Internet: http://www.oecd.org/els/family/database.htm.

  11. Yonezawa Y, Obara T, Yamashita T, Sugawara J, Ishikuro M, Murakami K, et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption before and during pregnancy and birth weight of new-borns in Japan: the Tohoku medical megabank project birth and three-generation cohort study. Nutr J. 2020;19:80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mikkelsen TB, Osler M, Orozova-Bekkevold I, Knudsen VK, Olsen SF. Association between fruit and vegetable consumption and birth weight: a prospective study among 43,585 Danish women. Scand J Public Health. 2006;34:616–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Heppe DHM, van Dam RM, Willemsen SP, den Breeijen H, Raat H, Hofman A, et al. Maternal milk consumption, fetal growth, and the risks of neonatal complications: the Generation R Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94:501–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Aune D, Norat T, Romundstad P, Vatten LJ. Whole grain and refined grain consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. Eur J Epidemiol. 2013;28:845–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Aune D, Keum N, Giovannucci E, Fadnes LT, Boffetta P, Greenwood DC, et al. Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ. 2016;353:i2716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. e-Stat. Food balance sheet (Japanese). 2018. Internet: https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00500300&tstat=000001017950&cycle=8&year=20181&month=0&tclass1=000001032890&tclass2=000001138503.

  17. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Vital statistics in Japan (Japanese). 2018. Internet: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/dl/81-1a2.pdf.

  18. Kuriyama S, Metoki H, Kikuya M, Obara T, Ishikuro M, Yamanaka C, et al. Cohort Profile: Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study (TMM BirThree Cohort Study): rationale, progress and perspective. Int J Epidemiol. 2020;49:18–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kuriyama S, Yaegashi N, Nagami F, Arai T, Kawaguchi Y, Osumi N, et al. The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project: Design and Mission. J Epidemiol. 2016;26:493–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Sasaki S, Kobayashi M, Tsugane S. JPHC. Validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire used in the 5-year follow-up survey of the JPHC Study Cohort I: comparison with dietary records for food groups. J Epidemiol. 2003;13:S57–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Tsugane S, Kobayashi M, Sasaki S. JPHC. Validity of the self-administered food frequency questionnaire used in the 5-year follow-up survey of the JPHC Study Cohort I: comparison with dietary records for main nutrients. J Epidemiol. 2003;13:S51–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Standard tables of food composition in japan fifth revised and enlarged edition -2005- (Japanese). 2005. Internet: https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/gijyutu/gijyutu3/toushin/05031802.htm.

  23. Willett W, Stampfer MJ. Total energy intake: implications for epidemiologic analyses. Am J Epidemiol. 1986;124:17–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. ICD10data.com. 2020 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code P07.1. 2018. Internet: https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/P00-P96/P05-P08/P07-/P07.1.

  25. Amezcua-Prieto C, Martínez-Galiano JM, Cano-Ibáñez N, Olmedo-Requena R, Bueno-Cavanillas A, Delgado-Rodríguez M. Types of carbohydrates intake during pregnancy and frequency of a small for gestational age newborn: a case-control study. Nutrients 2019;11:523.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Gresham E, Collins CE, Mishra GD, Byles JE, Hure AJ. Diet quality before or during pregnancy and the relationship with pregnancy and birth outcomes: the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Public Health Nutr. 2016;19:2975–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Chia AR, de Seymour JV, Colega M, Chen LW, Chan YH, Aris IM, et al. A vegetable, fruit, and white rice dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of preterm birth and larger birth size in a multiethnic Asian cohort: the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;104:1416–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Murphy MM, Stettler N, Smith KM, Reiss R. Associations of consumption of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy with infant birth weight or small for gestational age births: a systematic review of the literature. Int J Women’s Health. 2014;6:899–912.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Buuren SV Package ‘mice’. 2020. Internet: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/mice/mice.pdf.

  30. Micha R, Khatibzadeh S, Shi P, Andrews KG, Engell RE, Mozaffarian D, et al. Global, regional and national consumption of major food groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis including 266 country-specific nutrition surveys worldwide. BMJ Open. 2015;5:e008705.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are sincerely grateful to the participants of the TMM BirThree Cohort Study and the staff of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University. The full list of members is available at https://www.megabank.tohoku.ac.jp/english/a200601/. We would also like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

Funding

This work was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Japan (grant number, JP20km0105001). KAGOME CO., LTD., provided support in the form of salaries for authors YY, TY, SS, and HS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Yudai Yonezawa, Taku Obara, Takahiro Yamashita, Mami Ishikuro, Keiko Murakami, Fumihiko Ueno, Aoi Noda, Tomomi Onuma, Junichi Sugawara & Shinichi Kuriyama

  2. Innovation Division, KAGOME CO., LTD., Nasushiobara, Japan

    Yudai Yonezawa, Takahiro Yamashita, Shigenori Suzuki & Hiroyuki Suganuma

  3. Division of Molecular Epidemiology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

    Taku Obara, Mami Ishikuro, Keiko Murakami, Fumihiko Ueno, Aoi Noda & Shinichi Kuriyama

  4. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan

    Taku Obara & Aoi Noda

  5. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

    Junichi Sugawara

  6. International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Shinichi Kuriyama

Authors
  1. Yudai Yonezawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Taku Obara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Takahiro Yamashita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mami Ishikuro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Keiko Murakami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Fumihiko Ueno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Aoi Noda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Tomomi Onuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Junichi Sugawara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Shigenori Suzuki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Hiroyuki Suganuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Shinichi Kuriyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

YY designed the study, analyzed the data, wrote the manuscript, and was primarily responsible for the final content. TO and SK reviewed the drafts. TO, MI, JS, and SK contributed to data collection. All authors provided critical feedback and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Taku Obara.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

YY, TY, SS, and HS are employees of KAGOME CO., LTD. YY and TY are collaborative researchers of Tohoku University and KAGOME CO., LTD. None of the other authors have reported a conflict of interest related to the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yonezawa, Y., Obara, T., Yamashita, T. et al. Grain consumption before and during pregnancy and birth weight in Japan: the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 76, 261–269 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00939-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00939-w

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links