Deficient maternal zinc intake-but not folate-is associated with lower fetal heart rate variability
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Few studies of maternal prenatal diet and child development examine micronutrient status in relation to fetal assessment.
METHODS:
Twenty-four-hour dietary recall of zinc and folate and 20min of fetal heart rate were collected from 3rd trimester pregnant adolescents.
RESULTS:
Deficient zinc was associated with less fetal heart rate variability. Deficient folate had no associations with HRV. Neither deficient zinc nor deficient folate was related to fetal heart rate.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings, from naturalistic observation, are consistent with emerging data on prenatal zinc supplementation using a randomized control design.
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