Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Habitual fish consumption does not prevent a decrease in LCPUFA status in pregnant women (the Seychelles Child
M P Bonham1, E M Duffy, J M W Wallace
1Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK. mp.bonham@ulster.ac.uk
Abstract:
Information on the status of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in pregnancy and breast milk in very high fish-eating populations is limited. The aim of this study was to examine dietary intake and changes in fatty acid status in a population of pregnant women in the Republic of Seychelles. Serum docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decreased significantly between 28-week gestation and delivery (n=196). DHA status did not correlate significantly with length of gestation and was not associated with self-reported fish intake, which was high at 527 g/week. In breast milk, the ratio of DHA to arachidonic acid (AA) was consistent with those observed in other high fish-eating populations. Overall the data suggest that high exposure to LCPUFAs from habitual fish consumption does not prevent the documented decrease in LCPUFA status in pregnancy that occurs as a result of foetal accretion in the third trimester of pregnancy.
