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Maternal dietary fat intake and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring

R Thomas Collins1,2,3, Wei Yang4, Suzan L Carmichael4,5

  • 1Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA. tomcollins@stanford.edu.

Pediatric Research
|March 3, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake showed a minimal association with congenital heart defects (CHDs) risk in offspring after adjusting for total energy intake. This large study suggests fat intake has little impact on CHDs development.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Nutritional science

Background:

  • Fatty acids are vital for embryologic development, particularly cardiogenesis.
  • The influence of maternal periconceptional dietary fat on congenital heart defects (CHDs) risk remains unclear.
  • This study investigated the link between maternal fat intake and offspring CHDs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if maternal dietary fat intake during the periconceptional period is associated with the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in offspring.
  • To analyze the association between maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake and the occurrence of CHDs.
  • To clarify the role of maternal fat intake in cardiogenesis and CHD risk.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study utilizing data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study.
  • Analysis of 11,393 infants with CHDs (cases) and 11,029 non-malformed infants (controls).
  • Multivariable logistic regression was employed to assess the association between maternal dietary fat intake and CHDs, adjusting for energy intake.

Main Results:

  • After adjusting for total energy intake, maternal dietary fat intake showed a modest association with the risk of only 2 out of 25 analyzed CHDs.
  • Maternal dietary fat intake, unadjusted for total energy, was linked to increased risk for several CHDs.
  • Overall, no significant association was found between maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake and increased odds of CHDs when controlling for caloric intake.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal periconceptional dietary fat intake has a minimal association with the risk of specific CHDs after adjusting for total energy intake.
  • The impact of maternal fat intake on CHD risk appears to be minimal.
  • Further research may explore maternal lipid metabolism's role in cardiac development rather than solely fat intake.
Abstract

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