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Maternal Dietary Intake in Twin Pregnancies: Does it Diminish Towards Term?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Ruth Morley*
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia. [email protected]
Mark P. Umstad
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.
Jodie Bond
Affiliation:
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.
Vivienne M. Moore
Affiliation:
University of Adelaide Department of Public Health, South Australia,Australia.
Julie A. Owens
Affiliation:
University of Adelaide Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, South Australia,Australia.
Terence Dwyer
Affiliation:
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.
John B. Carlin
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr Ruth Morley, University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.

Abstract

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We tested the hypothesis that energy intake among women with twin pregnancies decreases in late gestation, as the uterus enlarges and they become increasingly uncomfortable. We asked women to recall dietary intake for the previous 24 hours, every 2 weeks from around 29 weeks of gestation, using a photographic atlas and other strategies to estimate portion size. Eighty women provided data at around 29, 31, 33 and 35 weeks of gestation. We calculated total energy intake, and energy intake from carbohydrate, fat and protein. Data were log transformed to reduce skewness. Using mixed effects linear regression models, we found minimal evidence that total energy intake changed over this time period, either before or after adjustment for potential confounding factors (95% confidence interval for relative change per week: −1.4%, 0.6%). There was weak evidence of a small decline in carbohydrate intake over time, both before and after controlling for energy intake. We cannot exclude change in energy intake or diet composition before 29 weeks or after 35 weeks of twin gestation.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006