Effect of maternal diet on pubertal stages and ano-genital distance from birth up to 12 months: data from the European LIFE-MILCH project

The ongoing European LIFE-MILCH project (www.lifemilch.eu), focuses on detecting Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in mothers, in breast and formula milk and in urine of mothers and infants up to 12 months of age studying relationships with neurodevelopment, growth, distribution of adiposity, pubertal stages, and ano-genital distance (AGD) to establish a risk assessment model to prepare safety guidelines. In this study we evaluated the effects of maternal diet during and after pregnancy on pubertal stages, genital malformations, and AGD from birth up to 12 months of age. The analyses were carried out on the 254/654 mother-infant dyads enrolled at one of the sites. The mothers were enrolled at 36-40 weeks GA, and were in good health; pregnancies were uncomplicated. All women filled questionnaires related to nutritional habits (daily and weekly frequency of intake of cereals, meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables, fatty food and dairy products) at enrolment, 1, 3, and 6 months after delivery. The duration and type of feeding was registered. All anthropometric measurements were registered and in addition pubertal stages and AGD. One-hundred and twenty-five males and 129 females were analysed both separately and as a whole group. After delivery mothers ate significantly less vegetables, fruit and cereals, and took more fat food whereas meat intake was unchanged and dairy products intake was variable. When breastfeeding stopped the intake of cereals decreased(p:0.029). The effect of the mothers diet before and after delivery was analysed separately, and the average of the frequency of intake of each food category was considered. Interestingly, a higher intake of dairy products was associated with a lower frequency of hydrocele in males. The breast bud was present longer in the males whose mothers reported a higher cereal intake after delivery, whereas it disappeared earlier in the females whose mothers had a higher cereal intake during pregnancy as well as in those who reported a greater intake of eggs (p:0.048). In females, maternal diet after delivery showed no relationship with thelarche. Generally, AGD was not associated with mother’s nutritional preferences, however, a weak negative association with meat intake during pregnancy was observed in boys at 3 and 6 months whereas a stronger negative association was found with fatty food intake at 3 months. In conclusion, maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation has effects on the clinical signs of minipuberty, possibly on the development of hydrocele, and on AGD, highlighting the need to improve maternal nutrition.