Maternal fatty acid intake during pregnancy and the development of childhood overweight : a birth cohort study

• BackgroundMaternal diet during pregnancy may contribute to the risk of offspring adiposity. ObjectivesThe objective of the study is to explore the associations between maternal antenatal dietary fatty acid intake and the risk of offspring overweight and obesity at the ages of 2 to 7years. MethodsIn a prospective Finnish birth cohort with 3807 mother-child pairs, maternal diet in late pregnancy was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Intakes of total fatty acids and individual saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were calculated. Generalized estimating equation models were used to study the associations of maternal dietary variables with repeatedly measured offspring overweight and obesity. ResultsIn girls, maternal intake ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFAs had a U-shaped association with obesity (adjusted OR for the lowest 2.0 [95% CI 1.27-3.20] and the highest 1.7 [1.03-2.73] vs. the two middle quartiles of n-6:n-3 PUFAs, p=0.01). In boys, arachidonic acid (20:4n-6): docosahexaenoic acid+eicosapentaenoic acid ratio was associated with obesity (adjusted OR for the lowest 1.0 [0.60-1.57] and the highest 0.5 [0.26-0.88] vs. the two middle quartiles, p=0.02). Saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were not associated with overweight or obesity in either sex. ConclusionsMaternal intakes of PUFAs in late pregnancy were associated with risk of later obesity differently in girls and boys.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Children

cohort studies

diet

fatty acids

overweight

pregnancy

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)