Maternal consumption of polyphenol-rich foods in late pregnancy and fetal ductus arteriosus flow dynamics

Objective: To test the hypothesis that maternal consumption of polyphenol-rich foods during third trimester interferes with fetal ductal dynamics by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. Study Design: In a prospective analysis, Doppler ductal velocities and right-to-left ventricular dimensions ratio of 102 fetuses exposed to polyphenol-rich foods (daily estimated maternal consumption >75th percentile, or 1089 mg) were compared with 41 unexposed fetuses (flavonoid ingestion <25th percentile, or 127 mg). Result: In the exposed fetuses, ductal velocities were higher (systolic: 0.96 +/- 0.23 m/s; diastolic: 0.17 +/- 0.05 m/s) and right-to-left ventricular ratio was higher (1.23 +/- 0.23) than in unexposed fetuses (systolic: 0.61 +/- 0.18 m/s, P<0.001; diastolic: 0.11 +/- 0.04 m/s, P = 0.011; right-to-left ventricular ratio: 0.94 +/- 0.14, P<0.001). Conclusion: As maternal polyphenol-rich foods intake in late gestation may trigger alterations in fetal ductal dynamics, changes in perinatal dietary orientation are warranted. Journal of Perinatology (2010) 30, 17-21; doi: 10.1038/jp.2009.101; published online 30 July 2009