Factors associated with the dietary total antioxidant capacity of pregnant Brazilian women

Objective:  To investigate the sociodemographic, maternal, and gestational factors associated with the dietary total antioxidant capacity in pregnant Brazilian women.

Methods:  A cross-sectional study with 2,232 pregnant women aged 18 years old or older, in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, from eleven cities in the five Brazilian regions. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied to assess socioeconomic, demographic, and health data, and a 24-hour dietary recall (R24h) was used to assess food consumption and analyze the dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC), estimated using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method.

Results:  The median of DTAC was 5.32 mmol/day. Aracaju, Sergipe (SE) had the highest median of DTAC (6.44 mmol/day) and Palmas, Tocantins (TO) had the lowest (4.71 mmol/day). Pregnant women aged 20 to 34 years (OR 1.86; 95%CI 1.26-2.76), 35 years old or older (OR 3.68; 95%CI 2.21-6.14) and who were in the second trimester of pregnancy (OR 1.50; 95%CI 1.11-2.01) were more likely to be above the median DTAC. While pregnant women with higher education had a 67% lower chance of being above the median DTAC (OR 0.67; 95%CI 0.48-0.92).

Conclusion:  The study demonstrated that there are differences in antioxidant consumption in different cities in Brazil and that associated factors such as age, education, and gestational trimester can impact the intake of foods rich in antioxidants. The profile found draws attention to the importance of an adequate diet rich in antioxidants during prenatal care.

Keywords:
Antioxidants; Pregnancy; Oxidative stress; Food consumption; Sociodemographic factors