Table 1.
Alternative Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P)8 scoring method and mean AHEI-P scores (± SD) for participants of the Lifestyle and Fertility (ISIS) Studya
| Component | Criterion for minimum score (0) | Criterion for maximum score (10) | Mean score ± SD (all) | Mean score ± SD for those females who achieved clinical pregnancy (n = 80) | Mean score ± SD for females who achieved live birth (n = 69) | Mean score ± SD for females who achieved clinical pregnancy but no live birth (n = 11) | Mean score ± SD (females) | Mean score ± SD (males) | P-valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetablesc, servings/d | 0 | ≥ 5 | 5.5 ± 2.7 | 5.5 ± 2.8 | 5.3 ± 2.8 | 6.4 ± 2.4 | 5.6 ± 2.7 | 5.5 ± 2.7 | 0.82 |
| Whole fruit d, servings/d | 0 | ≥ 4 | 3.0 ± 2.5 | 3.2 ± 2.4 | 3.2 ± 2.2 | 3.7 ± 3.3 | 3.4 ± 2.4 | 2.6 ± 2.5 | 0.02 |
| Whole grainse, g/d | 0 | 75 (females) 90 (males) | 4.2 ± 2.7 | 4.5 ± 2.7 | 4.5 ± 2.8 | 5.0 ± 2.3 | 4.3 ± 2.6 | 4.0 ± 2.9 | 0.49 |
| Sugar-Sweetened beverages f, servings/d | ≥ 1 | 0 | 4.4 ± 4.2 | 5.5 ± 3.9 | 5.3 ± 3.9 | 6.4 ± 3.8 | 4.9 ± 4.0 | 3.9 ± 4.4 | 0.05 |
| Nuts and legumes g, servings/d | 0 | ≥ 1 | 5.7 ± 4.2 | 6.1 ± 4.0 | 6.1 ± 4.0 | 6.5 ± 3.9 | 5.8 ± 4.1 | 5.5 ± 4.3 | 0.59 |
| Red/processed meats h, servings/d | ≥ 1.5 | 0 | 5.6 ± 3.6 | 6.6 ± 3.1 | 6.6 ± 3.1 | 6.8 ± 2.9 | 6.6 ± 3.1 | 4.4 ± 3.7 | <0.0001 |
| trans fat i, % of energy | ≥ 4 | ≤ 0.5 | 7.1 ± 1.8 | 7.4 ± 1.6 | 7.5 ± 1.6 | 7.1 ± 1.6 | 7.3 ± 1.7 | 6.8 ± 1.8 | 0.03 |
| Long-chain (n = 3) fats (EPA + DHA)j, mg/d | 0 | 250 | 3.2 ± 3.4 | 1.8 ± 2.8 | 1.9 ± 2.9 | 1.5 ± 1.8 | 2.9 ± 3.2 | 3.6 ± 3.6 | 0.06 |
| PUFAk, % of energy | ≤ 2 | ≥ 10 | 6.6 ± 1.9 | 6.5 ± 1.8 | 6.6 ± 1.8 | 5.8 ± 1.6 | 6.6 ± 1.7 | 6.7 ± 2.0 | 0.57 |
| Sodiuml, mg/d | Highest decile 6287.6 (females) 6900.1 (males) | Lowest decile 1739.6 (females) 2110.1 (males) | 5.5 ± 2.1 | 5.9 ± 1.8 | 6.0 ± 1.8 | 5.7 ± 1.8 | 5.9 ± 1.9 | 5.2 ± 2.1 | 0.004 |
| Calciumm, mg/d | 0 | ≥ 1200 | 7.0 ± 2.1 | 6.9 ± 2.0 | 6.8 ± 1.9 | 7.4 ± 2.3 | 6.8 ± 2.0 | 7.3 ± 2.2 | 0.04 |
| Folaten, µg/d | 0 | ≥ 600 | 7.3 ± 2.1 | 6.9 ± 2.2 | 6.8 ± 2.3 | 7.3 ± 2.0 | 6.9 ± 2.2 | 7.8 ± 2.0 | 0.0004 |
| Irono, mg/d | 0 | ≥ 27 | 5.8 ± 1.9 | 5.1 ± 1.7 | 5.1 ± 1.7 | 5.7 ± 2.1 | 5.2 ± 1.8 | 6.3 ± 1.9 | <0.0001 |
| AHEI-P | -- | -- | 69.8 ± 14.7 | 72.1 ± 13.9 | 71.6 ± 14.1 | 75.1 ± 12.7 | 71.0 ± 13.7 | 68.6 ± 15.6 | 0.19 |
132 females; 129 males (one male partner did not enroll in the study; two other males did not provide complete dietary data); SD = standard deviation
P-value for comparison between males and females using t-tests.
Intake of at least 5 servings of vegetables per day was considered optimal. One serving is 0.5 cup of vegetables or 1 cup of leafy green vegetables.
Intake of ≥ 4 servings of fruit per day was considered optimal. One serving is 1 medium piece of fruit or 0.5 cup of berries.
Intake of 75 grams of whole grains per day (~5 servings per day) for females and 90 grams per day (~6 servings per day) for males was considered optimal. One serving of 100% whole grain product contains about 16 g of whole grains (per dry weight).
Intake of ≥ 1 serving of sugar-sweetened beverage per day was considered to be the least optimal. Fruit juice, including 100% fruit juice, was included in this category. One serving is 8 oz.
Intake of ≥1 serving of nuts and legumes per day was considered optimal. Meat alternatives such as tofu, tempeh, soy nuts, and vegetable burgers were included in this category. One serving is 1 oz. of nuts or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
Intake of < 1 serving of red or processed meat per month was considered optimal, with an upper limit of ≥ 1.5 servings per day. One serving is 4 oz. of unprocessed meat or 1.5 oz. of processed meat.
Intake of ≥ 4% of total energy intake from trans fat was considered least optimal.
EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA = docosahexaenoic acid; Intake of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA (~2 4-oz. servings of fish per week) was considered optimal.
PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acid; Intake of ≥ 10% of total energy intake from PUFA was considered optimal. PUFA does not include EPA or DHA intake.
Cutoff ranges for sodium were based on the deciles of sodium distribution by sex. Values in the lowest decile (1739.6 mg per day for females and 2110.1 mg per day for males) was considered optimal.
Intake of ≥ 1200 mg of calcium per day was considered optimal.
Intake of ≥ 600 μg of folate per day was considered optimal.
Intake of ≥ 27 mg of iron per day was considered optimal.