Docosahexaenoic acid status at 9 months is inversely associated with communicative skills in 3-year-old girls.
The objective of the present observational study was to investigate if the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status assessed in infant erythrocytes (RBC) at 9 months was associated with the age when the infants reach developmental milestones and their psychomotor function at 3 years of age. Three hundred eleven healthy Danish children were followed from 9 months to 3 years of age (the SKOT cohort). RBC fatty acid composition was analysed by gas chromatography in 272 of the children. Milestone age was collected by questionnaires at 9 and 18 months and psychomotor development at 3 years of age was assessed by the parents using third edition of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). RBC DHA levels ranged from 2.2% to 12.6% of the RBC fatty acids. The age of reaching milestones correlated with psychomotor development, particularly with gross motor function at 3 years. An association between milestones and later personal and social skills was also observed, but only for girls. In girls, RBC-DHA was found to be inversely correlated with communication at 3 years of age (odds ratio = 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.56-0.86, P = 0.001), but no other associations with psychomotor development or milestones were found. The results from study indicate that DHA status at 9 months may not have a pronounced beneficial effect on psychomotor development in early childhood and that communicative skills at 3 years of age may even be inversely associated with early RBC-DHA levels in girls.
Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark Department of System Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark (BLH).
Sara
S
Engel
Kathrine Marie Hagerup
KM
Tronhjem
Lars I
LI
Hellgren
Kim F
KF
Michaelsen
Lotte
L
Lauritzen
D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D003718:Denmark; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010290:Parents; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids