Evaluating the Effect of Mother's Diet in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy on the Level of Total Bilirubin in Newborns

Neonatal jaundice is regarded as a common problem in newborns observed in 60% of term and80% of preterm neonates. Maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy may directly influence the mothers’ health, incidence of pregnancy-related complaints, fetal development as well as risks during pregnancy. Maternal nutrition has been traditionally held to produce an effect on neonatal jaundice and it is a deep-rooted belief that hot natured food can increase the rise of bilirubin in neonates. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the neonatal bilirubin level based on the mother ̕s nutrition via hot and cold nutured foods.
In this cross- sectional study, conducted in Hafez hospital of Shiraz in 2013, 180 mothers were studied considering inclusion and exclusion criteria via applying food frequency questionnaire and data collecting forms. Serum bilirubin level was measured and hemolytic tests were performed for neonates. The collected data were analyzed by non-parametric tests, repeated measurments and spearman correlation using SPSS Software (ver, 15).
There was no significant relationship between the mean level of bilirubin on 5th day with hot and cold natured foods. However, a direct significant correlation was observed in regard with some foods.
The study findings revealed that, contrary to the common belief, hot natured foods are not the only cause of elevated bilirubin level in neonates, though, some foods may elevate the bilirubin level by reduced bowel movements followed by an increase in enterohepatic cycle.