title: Maternal plasma PUFA concentrations during pregnancy and childhood adiposity: the Generation R Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations during pregnancy may have persistent effects on growth and adiposity in the offspring. A suboptimal maternal diet during pregnancy might lead to fetal cardiometabolic adaptations with persistent consequences in the offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the associations of maternal PUFA concentrations during pregnancy with childhood general and abdominal fat-distribution measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a population-based, prospective cohort study of 4830 mothers and their children, we measured maternal second-trimester plasma n-3 (ω-3) and n-6 (ω-6) PUFA concentrations. At the median age of 6.0 y (95% range: 5.6, 7.9 y), we measured childhood body mass index (BMI), the fat mass percentage, and the android:gynoid fat ratio with the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and measured the preperitoneal abdominal fat area with the use of ultrasound. Analyses were adjusted for maternal and childhood sociodemographic- and lifestyle-related characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed that higher maternal total n-3 PUFA concentrations, and specifically those of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, were associated with a lower childhood total-body fat percentage and a lower android:gynoid fat mass ratio (P< 0.05) but not with childhood BMI and the abdominal preperitoneal fat mass area. Higher maternal total n-6 PUFA concentrations, and specifically those of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, were associated with a higher childhood total-body fat percentage, android:gynoid fat mass ratio, and abdominal preperitoneal fat mass area (P< 0.05) but not with childhood BMI. In line with these findings, a higher maternal n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio was associated with higher childhood total-body and abdominal fat mass.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower maternal n-3 PUFA concentrations and higher n-6 PUFA concentrations during pregnancy are associated with higher body fat and abdominal fat in childhood. Additional studies are needed to replicate these observations and to explore the causality, the underlying pathways, and the long-term cardiometabolic consequences.
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Aleksandra Jelena
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vidakovic
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Olta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gishti
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Trudy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Voortman
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Janine F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; and.
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: Division of Metabolic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich Medical Center, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demmelmair
authors.affiliation: Division of Metabolic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich Medical Center, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands;
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tiemeier
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and.
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group and Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and r.gaillard@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaillard
mesh_terms: D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism; D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009035:Mothers; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid
keywords: PUFAs; adiposity; childhood; fat mass; pregnancy