Associate Professor State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, New York, United States
Background: Positive birth outcomes are important for both short-term and long-term health of children. Peanuts are a rich source of macronutrients, micronutrients, and other bioactive constituents, including phytosterols and phenolic compounds. Objective: We examined the association between maternal peanut food consumption during pregnancy and birth outcomes. Design/Methods: We analyzed data from a U.S. cohort of 1,444 mother-infant dyads in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II. In late pregnancy, mothers reported the frequency and portion size of consuming peanut foods in the past month, including peanuts and peanut butter. We used multivariable logistic and linear regression models to examine associations of maternal peanut food consumption with binary (i.e., preterm, small-for-gestational-age [SGA], large-for-gestational-age [LGA]) and continuous (i.e., gestational age, birth weight, and birth length) birth outcomes, respectively, adjusting for socio-demographics, pregnancy-related characteristics, and the Healthy Eating Index. Results: On average, mothers consumed 0.21 cups/week of peanuts and 2.37 tablespoons/week of peanut butter during pregnancy. Older age, higher education, higher household income, higher Healthy Eating Index, and WIC non-recipient were associated with higher peanut food consumption. Pregnant individuals who consumed a high amount of peanut and peanut butter combined had a significantly lower risk of preterm birth (2.1% vs 5.7%; confounder-adjusted OR, 0.32 [95% CI [0.11, 0.97]; P-value = 0.044). The risk of preterm birth decreased with the amount of peanut and peanut butter combined per 1-gram per day increment, with a confounder-adjusted OR of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.57, 0.97; P-value = 0.031). The associations were not significant for other birth outcomes.
Conclusion(s): High maternal consumption of peanut foods during pregnancy has a potential benefit in reducing the risk of preterm birth.
