Work

Maternal Consumption of Fruits, Vegetables and Fruit Juices in Relation to Offspring Weight at 4 Years

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Maternal diet plays a crucial role in fetal development and may influence offspring weight development. Although fruits and vegetables provide nutritional and metabolic benefits during pregnancy, evidence regarding their specific role on childhood overweight/obesity remains limited. This study aimed to examine the association between maternal intake of fruits, vegetables, and fruit juices during pregnancy and the risk of overweight/obesity in children at 4 years of age. Methods: We analyzed 252 mother–child pairs from the Mediterranean ECLIPSES cohort in a prospective observational study. Maternal dietary intake was assessed at 12, 24 and 36 weeks of gestation using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire previously validated in a Spanish population. Childhood overweight/obesity was defined as a BMI z-score above the 85th percentile for age and sex at age 4. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models estimated ORs and 95% CIs. Results: Higher maternal consumption of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with overweight/obesity in children (OR: 0.31 [0.13–0.74]). No associations were observed for total or natural fruit juice, whereas higher consumption of commercial fruit juice was associated with increased odds of overweight/obesity (OR: 2.48 [1.06–5.78]). Conclusions: Higher maternal combined consumption of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of overweight or obesity in offspring at 4 years of age, whereas the opposite association was observed for commercial, but not natural, fruit juice. These associations may involve both prenatal biological and postnatal behavioral and family dietary pathways; however, the commercial fruit juice finding should be considered exploratory and requires confirmation in larger prospective studies.

Source: Nutrients

DOI: 10.3390/nu18172918

Authors: Lucía Riggioni-Saborío, Cristina Jardí, Nerea Becerra-Tomás, Josué Cruz-Rodríguez, Victoria Arija

Institutions: Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol

Language: English

Topic: Birth, Development, and Health

Subfield: Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,499