Relation between the pattern of dietary intake and visceral fat deposits in pregnant women

Objective To assess the association between the pattern of dietary intake and visceral fat deposits. Methods This is an observational study with pregnant women during a prenatal appointment in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The gestational dietary intake was assessed using a usual food recall, questioning every food consumed on a usual weekday, and their respective amounts. Fat deposits were measured by ultrasonography. The correlation between symmetric variables was assessed using Pearson's correlation and the correlation between asymmetric variables was assessed using Spearman's correlation. The association between variables was assessed using multivariate linear regression, in which variables with asymmetric distribution were transformed into logarithms. Results A total of 154 pregnant women were included in the sample; the mean visceral fat thickness was 44.17 mm±15.03 and the median daily total energy intake was 2,149.25 kcal [1,676.53-3,051.72]. A significant positive correlation (r=0.165) was found between visceral fat thickness and the consumption of processed culinary ingredients (p=0.049). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the consumption of processed culinary ingredients may be positively associated with visceral fat deposits in pregnant women.