Ethnic differences in maternal total cholesterol and triglyceride levels during pregnancy: the contribution of demographics, behavioural factors and clinical characteristics.

Tanja Vrijkotte (1) , Ysbrand Schreuder (1) , Manon Van Eijsden (1) , Barbara Hutten (1) , Eugene Jansen (1) , Marcel Twickler (1) , Maud Vissers (1)

1 Public health

Background/Objectives: Lipid disturbances during pregnancy may lead to early onset of metabolic diseases in the offspring. However, there is little knowledge on ethnic differences in lipid levels during pregnancy. We evaluated ethnic differences in non-fasting total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels during early gestation and the role of demographics, behavioural factors and clinical characteristics. Subjects/Methods: Non-diabetic pregnant women (N=3025) from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study. The studied ethnic groups were: Dutch, Surinam-Hindustani, African-Caribbean, Turkish, Moroccan and Ghanaian. A multilingual questionnaire was used to gather information on maternal demographics, behavioural factors and clinical characteristics. Non-fasting TC, TG, % saturated-fatty-acid (%SFA) and % linoleic acid status (%LA) were assessed in blood samples collected at the first antenatal visit. Results: Ghanaian (-0.51 mmol/l), African-Caribbean (-0.19 mmol/l), and Moroccan (-0.15 mmol/l) women had significant lower TC levels compared to Dutch women. TG levels were lower in Ghanaian (log-transformed -0.12 mmol/l) but significantly higher in Surinam-Hindustani (0.10 mmol/l) and Turkish women (0.07 mmol/l). Age, physical activity, pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking, %SFA and %LA were independently related to TC and/or TG. However, only pre-pregnancy BMI could partly explain observed disparities. Furthermore, pre-pregnancy BMI had a relatively large effect on TG levels in Surinam-Hindustani and Turkish women. Conclusion: TC and TG levels differed between ethnic groups during early gestation. Only pre-pregnancy BMI partly explained the ethnic differences to a relevant degree. Reduction in BMI before pregnancy may improve lipid profile, especially in Surinam-Hindustani and Turkish women.

Mots clés: Lipid profile; pregnancy; ethnicity; behavioural factors; BMI; ABCD study

Tanja Vrijkotte, Ysbrand Schreuder, Manon Van Eijsden, Barbara Hutten, Eugene Jansen, et al.. Ethnic differences in maternal total cholesterol and triglyceride levels during pregnancy: the contribution of demographics, behavioural factors and clinical characteristics.. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011, ⟨10.1038/ejcn.2010.282⟩. ⟨hal-00609405⟩