TY - JOUR
T1 - Late-pregnancy salivary cortisol concentrations of Ghanaian women participating in a randomized controlled trial of prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements
AU - Oaks, Brietta M.
AU - Laugero, Kevin D.
AU - Stewart, Christine P.
AU - Adu-Afarwuah, Seth
AU - Lartey, Anna
AU - Ashorn, Per
AU - Vosti, Stephen A.
AU - Dewey, Kathryn G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Society for Nutrition.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Background: High circulating cortisol is associated with miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Research in nonpregnant individuals suggests that improved nutrition may lower cortisol concentrations. It is unknown whether nutritional supplementation during pregnancy lowers cortisol. Objective: Our objective was to determine whether women receiving a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) throughout pregnancy would have lower salivary cortisol at 36 wk gestation compared with women receiving other nutrient supplements. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 1320 pregnant Ghanaian women at ≤20 wk gestation who were assigned to receive daily throughout pregnancy: 1) 60 mg iron + 400 mg folic acid (IFA), 2) multiple micronutrients (MMNs), or 3) 20 g LNS (containing 118 kcal, 22 micronutrients, and protein). Morning salivary cortisol was collected from a subsample at baseline and at 28 and 36 wk gestation. Results: A total of 758 women had cortisol measurements at 28 or 36 wk gestation. Salivary cortisol at 36 wk gestation did not differ between groups and was (mean ± SE) 7.97 ± 0.199 in the IFA group, 7.84 ± 0.191 in theMMN group, and 7.77 ± 0.199 nmol/L in the LNS group, when adjusted for baseline cortisol, time of waking, and time between waking and saliva collection (P = 0.67). Therewas an interaction between supplementation group andwomen's age (continuous variable, P-interaction = 0.03); and when agewas dichotomized by themedian, significant differences in salivary cortisol concentrations between groups were seen in women≤26 y of age (IFA = 8.23 ± 0.284 nmol/L, MMN= 8.20 ± 0.274 nmol/L, and LNS = 7.44 ± 0.284 nmol/L; P = 0.03) but not in women > 26 y old (IFA = 7.71 ± 0.281 nmol/L, MMN = 7.50 ± 0.274 nmol/L, and LNS = 8.08 ± 0.281 nmol/L; P = 0.13). Conclusions: We conclude that supplementation with LNSs or MMNs during pregnancy did not affect the cortisol concentration in the study population as a whole, in comparison with IFA, but that LNS consumption among younger women may lead to lower cortisol at 36 wk gestation. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866.
AB - Background: High circulating cortisol is associated with miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Research in nonpregnant individuals suggests that improved nutrition may lower cortisol concentrations. It is unknown whether nutritional supplementation during pregnancy lowers cortisol. Objective: Our objective was to determine whether women receiving a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) throughout pregnancy would have lower salivary cortisol at 36 wk gestation compared with women receiving other nutrient supplements. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 1320 pregnant Ghanaian women at ≤20 wk gestation who were assigned to receive daily throughout pregnancy: 1) 60 mg iron + 400 mg folic acid (IFA), 2) multiple micronutrients (MMNs), or 3) 20 g LNS (containing 118 kcal, 22 micronutrients, and protein). Morning salivary cortisol was collected from a subsample at baseline and at 28 and 36 wk gestation. Results: A total of 758 women had cortisol measurements at 28 or 36 wk gestation. Salivary cortisol at 36 wk gestation did not differ between groups and was (mean ± SE) 7.97 ± 0.199 in the IFA group, 7.84 ± 0.191 in theMMN group, and 7.77 ± 0.199 nmol/L in the LNS group, when adjusted for baseline cortisol, time of waking, and time between waking and saliva collection (P = 0.67). Therewas an interaction between supplementation group andwomen's age (continuous variable, P-interaction = 0.03); and when agewas dichotomized by themedian, significant differences in salivary cortisol concentrations between groups were seen in women≤26 y of age (IFA = 8.23 ± 0.284 nmol/L, MMN= 8.20 ± 0.274 nmol/L, and LNS = 7.44 ± 0.284 nmol/L; P = 0.03) but not in women > 26 y old (IFA = 7.71 ± 0.281 nmol/L, MMN = 7.50 ± 0.274 nmol/L, and LNS = 8.08 ± 0.281 nmol/L; P = 0.13). Conclusions: We conclude that supplementation with LNSs or MMNs during pregnancy did not affect the cortisol concentration in the study population as a whole, in comparison with IFA, but that LNS consumption among younger women may lead to lower cortisol at 36 wk gestation. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866.
KW - Cortisol
KW - Ghana
KW - Lipid-based nutrient supplements
KW - Micronutrient supplements
KW - Pregnancy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84951837022&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3945/jn.115.219576
DO - 10.3945/jn.115.219576
M3 - Article
C2 - 26764321
AN - SCOPUS:84951837022
SN - 0022-3166
VL - 146
SP - 343
EP - 352
JO - Journal of Nutrition
JF - Journal of Nutrition
IS - 2
ER -