Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 273 women (283 unique FFQs) in Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study (2007–2014) by quartile of whole grain intake.
| Quartiles of Whole Grain Intake | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quartile (Range, g/day) |
Q1 (<21.4) |
Q2 (21.5–34.2) |
Q3 (34.3–52.4) |
Q4 (>52.4) |
|
| Median Intake (g/day) | 15.4 | 26.4 | 41.9 | 70.8 | |
| N | 70 | 71 | 71 | 71 | p-valuea |
| Personal Characteristics | |||||
| Age, years | 35.0 (6.0) | 35.5 (4.0) | 35.5 (3.6) | 35.7 (4.1) | 0.96 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.9 (3.8) | 24.1 (3.6) | 24.6 (4.8) | 24.0 (4.4) | 0.91 |
| Ever smoker, n (%) | 21 (30.0) | 22 (31.0) | 20 (28.2) | 18 (25.4) | 0.89 |
| White/Caucasian, n (%) | 53 (75.7) | 64 (90.1) | 62 (87.3) | 60 (84.5) | 0.10 |
| Baseline Reproductive Characteristics | |||||
| Infertility diagnosis, n (%) | |||||
| Female factor | 22 (31.4) | 21 (29.6) | 20 (28.2) | 21 (29.6) | 0.93 |
| Ovulation Disorders | 4 (5.7) | 5 (7.0) | 7 (9.9) | 10 (14.1) | |
| Diminished Ovarian Reserve | 5 (7.1) | 7 (9.9) | 3 (4.2) | 5 (7.0) | |
| Tubal | 8 (11.4) | 5 (7.0) | 5 (7.0) | 3 (4.2) | |
| Endometriosis | 3 (4.3) | 3 (4.3) | 4 (5.6) | 2 (2.8) | |
| Uterine | 2 (2.9) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.4) | 1 (1.4) | |
| Male factor | 25 (35.7) | 27 (38.0) | 23 (32.4) | 22 (31.0) | |
| Unexplained | 23 (32.9) | 23 (32.4) | 28 (39.4) | 28 (39.4) | |
| Treatment protocol, n (%) | 0.16 | ||||
| Antagonist or Flare | 13 (18.6) | 23 (32.4) | 13 (18.3) | 16 (22.5) | |
| Luteal phase agonist | 57 (81.4) | 48 (67.6) | 58 (81.7) | 55 (77.5) | |
| Embryo Transfer Day, n (%) | 0.20 | ||||
| No embryos transferred | 8 (11.4) | 5 (7.0) | 5 (7.0) | 6 (8.5) | |
| Day 2 | 3 (4.3) | 4 (5.6) | 1 (1.4) | 5 (7.0) | |
| Day 3 | 27 (38.6) | 25 (35.2) | 43 (60.6) | 36 (50.7) | |
| Day 5 | 26 (37.1) | 29 (40.9) | 19 (26.8) | 20 (28.2) | |
| Egg Donor or Cryo Cycle | 6 (8.6) | 8 (11.3) | 3 (4.2) | 4 (5.6) | |
| Number of Embryos Transferred, n (%) | 0.96 | ||||
| No embryos transferred | 8 (11.4) | 5 (7.0) | 5 (7.0) | 6 (8.5) | |
| 1 embryo | 9 (12.9) | 9 (12.7) | 9 (12.7) | 10 (14.1) | |
| 2 embryos | 35 (50.0) | 36 (50.7) | 40 (56.3) | 40 (56.3) | |
| 3+ embryos | 12 (17.1) | 13 (18.3) | 14 (19.7) | 11 (15.5) | |
| Egg Donor or Cryo Cycle | 6 (8.6) | 8 (11.3) | 3 (4.2) | 4 (5.6) | |
| Dietary Characteristics | |||||
| Total Calories, kcal/day | 1457 (452) | 1568 (532) | 1905 (484) | 2237 (591) | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrates, % of kcal/day | 47.6 (8.7) | 48.1 (7.5) | 50.4 (6.7) | 52.3 (6.5) | 0.001 |
| Protein, % of kcal/day | 17.2 (3.2) | 17.0 (2.8) | 16.2 (2.5) | 16.2 (2.2) | 0.05 |
| Fat, % of kcal/day | 33.4 (6.9) | 33.2 (6.1) | 32.8 (6.3) | 30.9 (5.7) | 0.10 |
| Total fiber, g/day | 15.2 (6.7) | 16.9 (4.6) | 23.0 (6.0) | 31.2 (11.8) | <0.001 |
| Folate intake, DFE µg/day | 1564 (881) | 1784 (816) | 1959 (796) | 1970 (792) | 0.001 |
| Alcohol, g/day | 8.0 (13.5) | 8.3 (8.0) | 8.1 (7.9) | 10.8 (12.3) | 0.05 |
| Caffeine, mg/day | 111 (107) | 124 (106) | 125 (98) | 127 (124) | 0.66 |
| Prudent pattern | −0.39 (0.9) | −0.39 (0.6) | 0.04 (0.9) | 0.44 (1.02) | <0.001 |
| Western pattern | −0.28 (0.8) | −0.10 (1.0) | 0.09 (0.9) | 0.20 (0.9) | 0.003 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; DFE, dietary folate equivalents.
a
For continuous variables, Kruskal Wallis tests were used to test for associations across quartiles of whole grain intake. For categorical variables, chi-squared tests were used to test the associations across quartiles of whole grain intake.