During pregnancy lead crosses the placenta freely and can have adverse effects on the fetus, with the potential for life-long impact on the child. Identification of dietary patterns and food groups in pregnancy in relation to measures of lead status could provide a more useful alternative to a nutrient-specific advice to minimise fetal exposure to lead during pregnancy. The aim is to evaluate whether dietary patterns and food groups are associated with blood lead concentrations in pregnancy.

Whole blood samples were collected from pregnant women enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children observational birth cohort study and were analysed for lead. Dietary pattern scores were derived from principal components analysis of a food frequency questionnaire. Associations of quartiles of dietary pattern scores, and of food groups categorised by frequency of consumption, with the likelihood of blood lead concentration (B-Pb) ≥5 µg/dl will be identified with adjusted logistic regression (n=2167).

Inclusion Criteria: Enrolled in ALSPAC, pregnant -

Exclusion Criteria: Not enrolled in ALSPAC, not pregnant

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The sample for this analysis was derived from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which is a UK-based birth cohort set up to investigate environmental and genetic influences on health and disease. ALSPAC recruited 14,541 pregnant women resident in Avon, UK with expected dates of delivery between 1st April 1991 and 31st December 1992.