Maternal fatty acids in pregnancy, FADS polymorphisms, and child intelligence quotient at 8 y of age.
BACKGROUND
Brain tissue is selectively enriched with highly unsaturated fatty acids (FAs). Altering the maternal FA status in pregnancy may improve fetal neural development with lasting consequences for child development.


OBJECTIVE
We explored whether maternal FAs in erythrocytes, either measured directly or indirectly by maternal FADS genetic variants, are associated with child intelligence quotient (IQ).


METHODS
Linear regression analyses, adjusted for 18 confounders, were used to investigate the associations in 2839 mother-child pairs from the population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort.


RESULTS
Low levels of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) were associated with lower performance IQ (-2.0 points; 95% CI: -3.5, -0.6 points; P = 0.007, increased R² = 0.27%), high levels of osbond acid (22:5n-6) were associated with verbal IQ (-1.8 points; 95% CI: -3.2, -0.4 points; P = 0.014, R² = 0.20%), and high levels of adrenic acid (22:4n-6) were associated with verbal IQ (-1.7 points; 95% CI:-3.1, -0.3 points; P = 0.016, R² = 0.19%). There was some evidence to support a negative association of low docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) with full-scale IQ (R² = 0.15%). Novel weak associations were also observed for low levels of osbond acid (R² ≤ 0.29%) and FADS variants with opposite effects for intron variants and variants in the promoter region such as rs3834458 (R² ≤ 0.38%).


CONCLUSIONS
These results support the positive role of maternal arachidonic acid and DHA on fetal neural development, although the effects on child IQ by 8 y of age were small (0.1 SD), with other factors contributing more substantially. The endogenous synthesis of these FAs by FADS genes, especially FADS2, may also be important. The replication of these results is recommended.
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (CDS and JG); the Research Unit for Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany (EL); the Department of Pediatrics, Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Center, München, Germany (BK); and the NIH, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda MD (JRH).
Colin D
CD
Steer
Eva
E
Lattka
Berthold
B
Koletzko
Jean
J
Golding
Joseph R
JR
Hibbeln
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004739:England; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007804:Language Development; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011247:Pregnancy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013237:Stereoisomerism
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases; C533241:FADS2 protein, human