Monounsaturated fat intake is associated with improved sleep quality in pregnancy

Christie J Bennett; Sean W Cain; Michelle L Blumfield

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2019.07.019

Monounsaturated fat intake is associated with improved sleep quality in pregnancy

Midwifery. 2019 Nov:78:64-70. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2019.07.019. Epub 2019 Jul 25.

Authors

Christie J Bennett¹, Sean W Cain², Michelle L Blumfield³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: Christie.bennett@monash.edu.
² Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/OnThisDayinMath.
³ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/OnThisDayinMath.

PMID: 31376641
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2019.07.019

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between sleeping behaviour and macronutrient intake of pregnant women.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 2009 as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Setting: Australia PARTICIPANTS: Australian pregnant women (n = 437, aged 31-36) enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who completed Survey 5 in 2009.

Measurements: Pregnant women self-reported sleep and dietary data. Latent class analysis derived sleep patterns. Relationships between sleep and diet were investigated through multivariate linear regression controlling for confounders including: area of residence, body mass index, depression, difficulty managing on income, education level and parity.

Findings: Latent class analysis identified three sleeping behaviour patterns: (LC1) average sleep (∼7.8 h) with no adverse sleep-related symptoms (n = 167); (LC2) average sleep (∼8.3 h) with adverse sleep symptoms (n = 193); and (LC3) short sleep (∼6.6 h) with adverse sleep symptoms (n = 97). After adjusting for potential confounders, LC2 was associated lower percentage energy (%E) total fat (b= -0.032, p = 0.039) and%E monounsaturated fat (b = -0.050, p = 0.005) and higher intake of%E carbohydrate (b = 0.031, p = 0.020), compared to LC1. No differences were found between LC1 and LC3.

Key conclusions: Higher monounsaturated fat intake, at the expense of carbohydrate intake, may prove protective against poor sleep quality in pregnancy.

Implications for practice: Antenatal support provided by health professionals should consider the important relationship between dietary intake and sleeping behaviour. Encouraging pregnant women to improve their sleep quality may prove an important strategy to optimise dietary intake during pregnancy and consequently improve the health outcomes for both mother and child.

Keywords: Carbohydrate; Diet; Fat; Monounsaturated fat; Pregnancy and sleep.

MeSH terms

Adult
Australia
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / pharmacology
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / therapeutic use*
Feeding Behavior / physiology*
Female
Humans
Latent Class Analysis
Longitudinal Studies
Pregnancy
Sleep / physiology*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated