title: Effect of fatty acid status in cord blood serum on children's behavioral difficulties at 10 y of age: results from the LISAplus Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the effect of fatty acid (FA) concentrations in cord blood on long-term behavioral outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the effect of FAs in cord blood serum on children's behavioral difficulties at the age of 10 y.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal study of 416 children from the population-based Influences of Lifestyle-Related Factors on the Immune System and the Development of Allergies in Childhood (LISAplus) birth cohort from Munich was conducted. Individual glycerophospholipid FAs in blood were analyzed in venous cord blood. Data on children's behavior were collected with a parent-reported Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire at 10 y of age. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models were applied and adjusted for sex, parental income, smoking during pregnancy, and dietary intake of arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA at 10 y.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 1% increase in DHA in cord blood serum was found to decrease total difficulties by (exp)β(adj) = 0.93 (SE = 0.02, P < 0.0001) and hyperactivity or inattention by (exp)β(adj) = 0.94 (SE = 0.03, P < 0.04). Higher long-chain (LC) PUFA concentrations in cord blood serum were associated with fewer emotional symptoms [(exp)β(adj) = 0.95, SE = 0.03, P = 0.01], and similarly higher AA concentrations were associated with fewer emotional symptoms [(exp)β(adj) = 0.94, SE = 0.03, P = 0.03].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased concentrations of DHA, LC-PUFAs, and AA in cord blood serum were associated with lower scores on a parent-completed behavioral screen. An appropriate FA supply to the developing fetus may be essential for optimal long-term behavioral outcomes in children.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology I, Neuherberg, Germany. gabriele.kohlboeck@helmholtz-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kohlboeck
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tiesler
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demmelmair
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Standl
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romanos
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heinrich
mesh_terms: D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D004644:Emotions; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005858:Germany; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid