Maternal dietary selenium intake during pregnancy is associated with higher birth weight and lower risk of small for gestational age births in the norwegian mother, father and child cohort study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Maternal dietary selenium intake during pregnancy is associated with higher birth weight and lower risk of small for gestational age births in the norwegian mother, father and child cohort study

AU - Solé-Navais, Pol

AU - Brantsæter, Anne Lise

AU - Caspersen, Ida Henriette

AU - Lundh, Thomas

AU - Muglia, Louis J.

AU - Meltzer, Helle Margrete

AU - Zhang, Ge

AU - Jacobsson, Bo

AU - Sengpiel, Verena

AU - Barman, Malin

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Selenium is an essential trace element involved in the body’s redox reactions. Low selenium intake during pregnancy has been associated with low birth weight and an increased risk of children being born small for gestational age (SGA). Based on data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN), we studied the association of maternal selenium intake from diet and supplements during the first half of pregnancy (n = 71,728 women) and selenium status in mid-pregnancy (n = 2628 women) with birth weight and SGA status, according to population-based, ultrasound-based and customized growth standards. An increase of one standard deviation of maternal dietary selenium intake was associated with increased birth weight z-scores (ß = 0.027, 95% CI: 0.007, 0.041) and lower SGA risk (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.86, 0.97) after adjusting for confounders. Maternal organic and inorganic selenium intake from supplements as well as whole blood selenium concentration were not associated with birth weight or SGA. Our results suggest that a maternal diet rich in selenium during pregnancy may be beneficial for foetal growth. However, the effect estimates were small and further studies are needed to elucidate the potential impact of selenium on foetal growth.

AB - Selenium is an essential trace element involved in the body’s redox reactions. Low selenium intake during pregnancy has been associated with low birth weight and an increased risk of children being born small for gestational age (SGA). Based on data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN), we studied the association of maternal selenium intake from diet and supplements during the first half of pregnancy (n = 71,728 women) and selenium status in mid-pregnancy (n = 2628 women) with birth weight and SGA status, according to population-based, ultrasound-based and customized growth standards. An increase of one standard deviation of maternal dietary selenium intake was associated with increased birth weight z-scores (ß = 0.027, 95% CI: 0.007, 0.041) and lower SGA risk (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.86, 0.97) after adjusting for confounders. Maternal organic and inorganic selenium intake from supplements as well as whole blood selenium concentration were not associated with birth weight or SGA. Our results suggest that a maternal diet rich in selenium during pregnancy may be beneficial for foetal growth. However, the effect estimates were small and further studies are needed to elucidate the potential impact of selenium on foetal growth.

KW - Birth weight

KW - Intrauterine growth

KW - MBRN

KW - Medical Birth Registry of Norway

KW - MoBa

KW - Selenium

KW - The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort study

U2 - 10.3390/nu13010023

DO - 10.3390/nu13010023

M3 - Article

C2 - 33374667

AN - SCOPUS:85098659031

VL - 13

JO - Nutrients

JF - Nutrients

SN - 2072-6643

IS - 1

M1 - 23

ER -