Abstract MP42: Adherence To Healthy Dietary Patterns In Pregnancy And Placental Dna Methylation- An Epigenome Wide Association Study
Background: Accumulating evidence support the intergenerational impacts of diet in pregnancy. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain unclear. Placental epigenetic mechanisms may be involved although data from human epidemiological studies are sparse. We aimed to investigate associations of dietary quality in pregnancy with epigenome-wide placental DNA methylation in a multiracial pregnancy cohort. Methods: DNA methylation was measured using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation450 Beadchip on placentas obtained at delivery from 301 pregnant women who participated in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton cohort. Dietary information during periconception and early first trimester was collected using food frequency questionnaires, and diet in the second and third trimester was collected using a 24-hour dietary recall during four study visits. Scores for adherence to three healthy dietary patterns, alternate Healthy Eating Index (aHEI), alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), were calculated. For associations of each dietary pattern score with methylation, we conducted analyses using robust linear regression models after the adjustment for age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, race/ethnicity, physical activity, total energy intakes, and population stratification. Genes annotating the top significant CpG sites (false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P<0.05) were queried for enrichment of functional pathways using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool. Results: Adherence to aHEI was significantly associated with methylation of 8 CpG sites, with the most significant association manifested in cg16724319- MDH1B (P=1.9x10 -10 ). Adherence to aMED was related to methylation of 14 CpG sites, with the most significant association manifested in cg07835181- CLCN7 (P=1.7x10 -11 ). DASH was significantly related to 33 CpG sites, with the most significant association manifested in cg26292547- REV3L (P=4.4x10 -10 ). Further, genes annotating the significant CpG sites were enriched in pathways related to cardiovascular and nervous system development and function, cancer, organismal injury and abnormalities, and reproductive system diseases. Conclusion: Findings from the epigenome wide study suggest that overall dietary quality in pregnancy is associated with placental DNA methylation changes at different loci potentially related to cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and cancer phenotypes.