title: Associations of birth weight with serum long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in adolescents; the HELENA study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nutritional factors in early life may have long-term physiologic effects in humans. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) play important roles in protecting against cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Our aim was to examine the association of birth weight (BW) with serum long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) profile in adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 772 European adolescents (56.3% females) aged 14.7 ± 1.2 years were included in this study. Information on BW and gestational age was obtained from parental records. DHA, EPA and arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations were measured in serum phospholipids. Alfa-linolenic (ALA), linoleic (LA), AA, EPA and DHA intakes assessed by a computer based 24h dietary recall. Gender, gestational age, pubertal status, body mass index, center and total energy and LCPUFA intakes were used as confounders in all the analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BW was significantly associated with serum DHA and EPA (both adjusted P<0.05) independently of potential confounders including their main dietetic source. We did not observe any significant relationship between BW and serum AA levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that early metabolic changes, as a result from prenatal environmental influences, could affect long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism later in life. These results may contribute to explain the relationship between early nutrition and growth and later metabolic disorders as CVD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain. idoia.labayen@ehu.es
authors.forename: Idoia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Labayen
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Jonatan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Francisco B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sjostrom
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Gross
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spinneker
authors.forename: Stefaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Henauw
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.forename: Dénés
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leclercq
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gottrand
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D005060:Europe; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D052756:Nutritional Sciences; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid