Loading…

Prenatal fatty acid status and child adiposity at age 3 y: results from a US pregnancy cohort

Background: Exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in early life may influence adiposity development. Objective: We examined the extent to which prenatal n−3 (omega-3) and n−6 (omega-6) PUFA concentrations were associated with childhood adiposity. Design: In mother-child pairs in the Projec...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of clinical nutrition 2011-04, Vol.93 (4), p.780-788
Main Authors: Donahue, Sara MA, Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L, Gold, Diane R, Jouni, Zeina E, Gillman, Matthew W, Oken, Emily
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in early life may influence adiposity development. Objective: We examined the extent to which prenatal n−3 (omega-3) and n−6 (omega-6) PUFA concentrations were associated with childhood adiposity. Design: In mother-child pairs in the Project Viva cohort, we assessed midpregnancy fatty acid intakes (n = 1120), maternal plasma PUFA concentrations (n = 227), and umbilical cord plasma PUFA concentrations (n = 302). We performed multivariable regression analyses to examine independent associations of n−3 PUFAs, including docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids (DHA + EPA), n−6 PUFAs, and the ratio of n−6:n−3 PUFAs, with child adiposity at age 3 y measured by the sum of subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses (SS + TR) and risk of obesity (body mass index ≥95th percentile for age and sex). Results: Mean (±SD) DHA + EPA intake was 0.15 ± 0.14 g DHA + EPA/d, maternal plasma concentration was 1.9 ± 0.6%, and umbilical plasma concentration was 4.6 ± 1.2%. In children, SS + TR was 16.7 ± 4.3 mm, and 9.4% of children were obese. In the adjusted analysis, there was an association between each SD increase in DHA + EPA and lower child SS + TR [−0.31 mm (95% CI: −0.58, −0.04 mm) for maternal diet and −0.91 mm (95% CI: −1.63, −0.20 mm) for cord plasma] and lower odds of obesity [odds ratio (95% CI): 0.68 (0.50, 0.92) for maternal diet and 0.09 (0.02, 0.52) for cord plasma]. Maternal plasma DHA + EPA concentration was not significantly associated with child adiposity. A higher ratio of cord plasma n−6:n−3 PUFAs was associated with higher SS + TR and odds of obesity. Conclusion: An enhanced maternal-fetal n−3 PUFA status was associated with lower childhood adiposity.
ISSN:0002-9165
1938-3207
DOI:10.3945/ajcn.110.005801