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Aflatoxin exposure in utero causes growth faltering in Gambian infants
Paul C Turner1, Andrew C Collinson, Yin Bun Cheung
1Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Leeds Institute of Genetics, Health and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK LS2 9JT.
Insights
Maternal aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy significantly impacts infant growth, leading to reduced weight and height gain in the first year. Interventions targeting early life exposures are crucial for improving child development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Toxicology
Background:
- Growth faltering in West African children is linked to dietary aflatoxin exposure post-weaning.
- Animal studies suggest prenatal aflatoxin exposure also causes growth deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of in utero aflatoxin exposure on infant growth during the first year of life in The Gambia.
Main Methods:
- 138 infants' height and weight were tracked monthly for one year.
- Maternal, cord, and infant blood (at 16 weeks) aflatoxin-albumin (AF-alb) adduct levels were measured.
Main Results:
- Maternal AF-alb levels predicted lower weight and height gain (P=0.012, P=0.044).
- Reduced maternal AF-alb exposure correlated with increased infant weight and height gain.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal aflatoxin exposure significantly affects infant growth in the first year.
- Findings support targeting early life aflatoxin exposure for intervention strategies.
Background:
Growth faltering in West African children has previously been associated with dietary exposure to aflatoxins, particularly upon weaning. However, in animal studies in utero exposure to low levels of aflatoxin also results in growth faltering.
Objective:
This study investigated the effect of in utero aflatoxin exposure on infant growth in the first year of life in The Gambia.
Methods:
Height and weight were measured for 138 infants at birth and at regular monthly intervals for one year. Aflatoxin-albumin (AF-alb) adduct level was measured in maternal blood during pregnancy, in cord blood and in infants at age 16 weeks.
Results:
The geometric mean AF-alb levels were 40.4 pg/mg (range 4.8-260.8 pg/mg), 10.1 pg/mg (range 5.0-189.6 pg/mg) and 8.7 pg/mg (range 5.0-30.2 pg/mg) in maternal, cord and infant blood, respectively. AF-alb in maternal blood was a strong predictor of both weight (P = 0.012) and height (P = 0.044) gain, with lower gain in those with higher exposure. A reduction of maternal AF-alb from 110 pg/mg to 10 pg/mg would lead to a 0.8 kg increase in weight and 2 cm increase in height within the first year of life.
Conclusions:
This study shows a strong effect of maternal aflatoxin exposure during pregnancy on growth in the first year of life and thus extends earlier observations of an association between aflatoxin exposure during infancy and growth faltering. The findings imply value in targeting intervention strategies at early life exposures.
