Evidence Hub

First–Second-Trimester Dietary Inflammatory Index and Anemia Risk in the Third Trimester: A Prospective Cohort Study

Cong Huang, Zhitan Zhang, Junwei He, Zixin Zhong, Yuxin Ma, Xun Huang, Fan Xia, Hong-Zhuan Tan et al.

Nutrients, 2025

545 participants · 3 citations

Abstract

Objectives: Dietary conditions are closely related to maternal health. This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between the first–second-trimester Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and developing anemia in the third trimester. Methods: This prospective cohort study comprised 545 pregnant women, with dietary data assessed via a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Hemoglobin levels were obtained by hospital laboratory tests and used to diagnose anemia. Multivariable logistic regression models—adjusted for baseline serum iron, age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), occupation, education, history of adverse pregnancy outcomes, parity, serum iron, passive smoking exposure, and iron supplementation use during pregnancy—were employed to evaluate the relationships between the first-trimester DII, second-trimester DII, first–second-trimester average DII, and third-trimester anemia. Results: After multivariable adjustment, the first–second-trimester average DII in the pro-inflammatory diet group demonstrated a 3.73-fold elevated risk of third-trimester anemia compared to the anti-inflammatory diet group (Odds Ratio [OR] = 3.73, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.50–9.25). Conclusions: Pro-inflammatory dietary patterns during pregnancy exhibit a significant correlation with developing third-trimester anemia. This study demonstrates that reducing dietary pro-inflammatory components through prenatal nutrition programs may lower third-trimester anemia risk.…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 545 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free