Decreased Nutrient Intake Is Associated With Premature Cervical Remodeling.
Mary Dawn Koenig, Barbara L McFarlin, Alana D Steffen and 7 others
PMID 27836660WHAT IT FOUND
In 47 pregnant African American women, lower reported zinc, calcium and vitamin E intake was associated with premature cervical remodeling on ultrasound.
The study did not show that diet caused this or prevented preterm birth.
Key findings
01In adjusted comparisons, the less-risk cervical remodeling group had 2 times more mean vitamin E intake, almost 1.3 times more calcium intake, and 1.5 times more zinc intake than the at-risk group.
02The at-risk group of 36 women had an ultrasonic attenuation value of 1.09 dB/cm-MHz from weeks 20 to 36, while the less-risk group of 11 women started at 1.75 dB/cm-MHz at week 20 and followed a decreasing trajectory with slope -0.03.
03The two cervical remodeling groups were similar for preterm birth and gestational age at birth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis included 47 women from a convenience sample of 54, and it was a secondary analysis of a pilot study with no a priori sample calculation, so the results are preliminary. Seven women were excluded for invalid food frequency questionnaire data, and many had fewer than five ultrasound scans, with eight having only one. Diet was self-reported through a food frequency questionnaire, and the paper did not measure nutrient levels in blood, so actual nutrient status is uncertain. The study only included African American women, so the results may not apply to other populations. The outcome was a modeled cervical ultrasound trajectory, not direct preterm birth, and the two groups did not differ in preterm birth or gestational age at birth. The study was observational, so it cannot show that low nutrient intake caused premature cervical remodeling.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that zinc, calcium or vitamin E supplements prevent preterm birth. The study was a small observational analysis of self-reported diet and cervical ultrasound measurements, and the two cervical remodeling groups did not differ in preterm birth or gestational age at birth.