title: Fish intake during pregnancy, fetal growth, and gestational length in 19 European birth cohort studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fish is a rich source of essential nutrients for fetal development, but in contrast, it is also a well-known route of exposure to environmental pollutants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed whether fish intake during pregnancy is associated with fetal growth and the length of gestation in a panel of European birth cohort studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample of 151,880 mother-child pairs was derived from 19 population-based European birth cohort studies. Individual data from cohorts were pooled and harmonized. Adjusted cohort-specific effect estimates were combined by using a random- and fixed-effects meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women who ate fish >1 time/wk during pregnancy had lower risk of preterm birth than did women who rarely ate fish (≤ 1 time/wk); the adjusted RR of fish intake >1 but <3 times/wk was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.92), and for intake ≥ 3 times/wk, the adjusted RR was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.96). Women with a higher intake of fish during pregnancy gave birth to neonates with a higher birth weight by 8.9 g (95% CI: 3.3, 14.6 g) for >1 but <3 times/wk and 15.2 g (95% CI: 8.9, 21.5 g) for ≥ 3 times/wk independent of gestational age. The association was greater in smokers and in overweight or obese women. Findings were consistent across cohorts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This large, international study indicates that moderate fish intake during pregnancy is associated with lower risk of preterm birth and a small but significant increase in birth weight.
authors: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece (VL, TR, and LC); the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona, Spain (DM, MC, JS, MK, and MV); the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain (DM, MC, JS, MK, and MV); the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health and Cardiovascular Research & Development Unit, University of Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal (HB and AO); the Public Health Institute, University of Porto, Portugal (HB and AO); the Department for Genes and Environment (ME) and Department of Chronic Diseases (HS), Division of Epidemiology, and the Division of Environmental Medicine (A-LB, MH, and HMH), Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (MC, M Murcia, JS, MK, and MV); the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Lifelong Epidemiology of Obesity, Diabetes and Renal Disease Team, Villejuif, France (M-AC and BH); the University Paris-Sud, UMRS 1018, le Kremlin Bicêtre, France (M-AC and BH); the INSERM UMR 1085, Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement & Travail, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes Cedex, France (SC and, FP); the Public Health Service Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology, Documentation and Health Promotion, Amsterdam, Netherlands (MvE); the Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional health System, Rome, Italy (FF and DP); the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands (UG); the Environmental Risk and Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium (EG); the Maternal Nutrition Group, Centre for Fetal Programming, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark (TIH, SFO, and MS); the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Ice
authors: Vasiliki
authors: V
authors: Leventakou
authors: Theano
authors: T
authors: Roumeliotaki
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Martinez
authors: Henrique
authors: H
authors: Barros
authors: Anne-Lise
authors: AL
authors: Brantsaeter
authors: Maribel
authors: M
authors: Casas
authors: Marie-Aline
authors: MA
authors: Charles
authors: Sylvaine
authors: S
authors: Cordier
authors: Merete
authors: M
authors: Eggesbø
authors: Manon
authors: M
authors: van Eijsden
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Forastiere
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Gehring
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Govarts
authors: Thorhallur I
authors: TI
authors: Halldórsson
authors: Wojciech
authors: W
authors: Hanke
authors: Margaretha
authors: M
authors: Haugen
authors: Denise H M
authors: DH
authors: Heppe
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Heude
authors: Hazel M
authors: HM
authors: Inskip
authors: Vincent W V
authors: VW
authors: Jaddoe
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Jansen
authors: Cecily
authors: C
authors: Kelleher
authors: Helle Margrete
authors: HM
authors: Meltzer
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Merletti
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Moltó-Puigmartí
authors: Monique
authors: M
authors: Mommers
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Murcia
authors: Andreia
authors: A
authors: Oliveira
authors: Sjúrður F
authors: SF
authors: Olsen
authors: Fabienne
authors: F
authors: Pele
authors: Kinga
authors: K
authors: Polanska
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Porta
authors: Lorenzo
authors: L
authors: Richiardi
authors: Siân M
authors: SM
authors: Robinson
authors: Hein
authors: H
authors: Stigum
authors: Marin
authors: M
authors: Strøm
authors: Jordi
authors: J
authors: Sunyer
authors: Carel
authors: C
authors: Thijs
authors: Karien
authors: K
authors: Viljoen
authors: Tanja G M
authors: TG
authors: Vrijkotte
authors: Alet H
authors: AH
authors: Wijga
authors: Manolis
authors: M
authors: Kogevinas
authors: Martine
authors: M
authors: Vrijheid
authors: Leda
authors: L
authors: Chatzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005399:Fishes; D005506:Food Contamination; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D017747:Seafood / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical