Fish intake in pregnant women and its impact on maternal-fetal health status

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the consumption of fish in pregnant women and its association with maternal and infant outcomes.

Material and methods: In this observational study carried out at the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia, 300 pregnant women participated. The participants were divided into 2 groups according to their fish consumption during pregnancy for comparison. The χ² test or ANOVA test were applied for comparisons for qualitative and quantitative variables respectively.

Results: It was observed that 49% of women consumed adequate amounts of fish during pregnancy (2 or 3 weekly servings). Significant differences were observed for iron supplementation (higher in women with inadequate fish consumption), threatened pregnancy loss (higher in women with inadequate fish consumption), infant size (better in women with adequate fish consumption), and arterial O₂ pressure (better in women with adequate fish consumption). In regard to the other components of the dietary pattern, no differences were observed but the adequacy of intake for grains and white meat was very poor (less than 5.0%).

Conclusions: Half of the women met the recommendations for fish intake during pregnancy and presented an overall healthier eating pattern but without statistical significance.

Keywords: Diet; Embarazo; Fish; Healthy habits; Hábitos saludables, Dieta; Pescado; Pregnancy.