Maternal cereal consumption and adequacy of micronutrient intake in the periconceptional period

ObjectiveTo assess the adequacy of periconceptional intake of key micronutrients for perinatal health in relation to regular cereal consumption of pregnant women.Design, setting and subjectsLow-income pregnant women (n596) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, who enrolled in a cohort study at ResultsAbout 31 % of the women regularly consumed cereal. After adjusting for energy intake, race/ethnicity, marital status, breakfast consumption and supplement use, cereal eaters had significantly higher intakes of folate, Fe, Zn, Ca, fibre and vitamins A, C, D and E (allP< 0·01) and were approximately two to six times more likely to have intakes in the highest third of the distribution for folate, Fe, Zn, Ca, vitamins A and D, and fibre (allP< 0·01) than cereal non-eaters. Cereal consumption was also associated with reductions of 65–90 % in the risk of nutrient inadequacies compared with non-consumption (allP< 0·01).ConclusionsEncouraging cereal consumption may be a simple, safe and inexpensive nutrition intervention that could optimize periconceptional intake for successful placental and fetal development.