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Plasma fatty acid patterns during pregnancy and child's growth, body composition, and cardiometabolic health: The
Trudy Voortman1, Myrte J Tielemans1, Wendy Stroobant2
1Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Maternal fatty acid patterns during pregnancy influence offspring growth and cardiometabolic health. High n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake is linked to better body composition and lipid profiles in children.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatric Health
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Fetal exposure to fatty acids impacts offspring growth and metabolism.
- Previous research often focused on individual fatty acids, overlooking their correlated nature and interactions.
- Understanding combined fatty acid patterns during pregnancy is crucial for assessing long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between maternal plasma fatty acid patterns during pregnancy and the growth, body composition, and cardiometabolic health of offspring at age 6.
- To identify specific fatty acid patterns that may influence child development and health.
- To explore the role of n-6 PUFA, MUFA and SFA, and n-3 PUFA patterns in offspring outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cohort study of 4830 mother-child pairs in the Netherlands.
- Plasma phospholipid fatty acids were measured around 20 weeks of gestation.
- Principal component analysis identified three distinct fatty acid patterns: high n-6 PUFA, MUFA and SFA, and high n-3 PUFA.
Main Results:
- A high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) pattern during pregnancy correlated with increased offspring height, BMI, and fat-free mass index (FFMI) at age 6.
- The monounsaturated and saturated fatty acid (MUFA and SFA) pattern showed no consistent associations with child body composition or cardiometabolic health.
- A high n-3 PUFA pattern was associated with lower fat mass index (FMI), higher FFMI, improved HDL-cholesterol, and lower triacylglycerol levels in offspring.
Conclusions:
- Maternal plasma fatty acid patterns during pregnancy significantly impact offspring body composition and cardiometabolic health.
- A maternal dietary pattern rich in n-3 PUFA is associated with a more favorable body composition and lipid profile in 6-year-old children.
- These findings highlight the importance of maternal fatty acid intake for long-term child health outcomes.
Background:
Exposure to different concentrations of fatty acids during fetal life may affect growth and metabolism. However, most studies examined individual fatty acids, whereas concentrations highly correlate and may interact with each other. We aimed to evaluate patterns of plasma fatty acids during pregnancy and their associations with growth, body composition, and cardiometabolic health of the 6-year-old offspring.
Methods:
This study was performed in 4830 mother-child pairs participating in a population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Around 20 weeks of gestation, we measured plasma phospholipid concentrations of 22 fatty acids, in which we identified three fatty acid patterns using principal component analysis: a 'high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)' pattern, a 'monounsaturated and saturated fatty acid (MUFA and SFA)' pattern, and a 'high n-3 PUFA' pattern. When the children were 6 years old, we measured their anthropometrics and detailed body composition (using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and we calculated their body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI). At the same age, children's blood pressure, and serum insulin, HDL-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol were measured.
Results:
After adjustment for confounders and the other patterns, a higher score for the 'high n-6 PUFA' pattern during pregnancy was associated with a higher height, BMI, and FFMI in the offspring at 6 years, but not independently with cardiometabolic outcomes. The 'MUFA and SFA' pattern was not consistently associated with child body composition or cardiometabolic health. A higher score for the 'high n-3 PUFA' pattern was associated with a lower FMI, higher FFMI, higher HDL-cholesterol, and lower triacylglycerol.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that plasma fatty acid patterns during pregnancy may affect offspring's body composition and cardiometabolic health. Specifically, a pattern characterized by high n-3 PUFA levels was associated with a more favorable body composition and blood lipid profile.
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