Childhood Fish Consumption and Learning and Behavioral Disorders.
Fish is a major source of nutrients critical for brain development during early life. The importance of childhood fish consumption is supported by several studies reporting associations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation with better behavior and school performance. However, fish may have a different effect than n-3 PUFA alone due to the neurotoxic effects of methylmercury, a frequent contaminant. We investigated associations of childhood fish consumption with learning and behavioral disorders in birth cohort study of the neurotoxic effects of early life exposure to solvent-contaminated drinking water. Childhood (age 7-12 years) fish consumption and learning and behavioral problems were reported in self-administered questionnaires (age 23-41 at questionnaire completion). Fish consumption was not meaningfully associated with repeating a grade, tutoring, attending summer school, special class placement, or low educational attainment. However, participants who ate fish several times a week had an elevated odds of Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (odds ratio: 5.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.5-18) compared to participants who did not eat fish. While these findings generally support the safety of the observed level of fish consumption, the absence of a beneficial effect may be attributed to insufficient fish intake or the choice of relatively low n-3 PUFA fish.
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. jennycarwile@gmail.com.
Jenny L
JL
Carwile
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. ljbutler@bu.edu.
Lindsey J
LJ
Butler
Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. paj@bu.edu.
Patricia A
PA
Janulewicz
Data Coordinating Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. mwinter@bu.edu.
Michael R
MR
Winter
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. aaschen@bu.edu.
Ann
A
Aschengrau
D000124:Achievement; D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity; D000066553:Problem Behavior; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity
D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
ADD; ADHD; fish; learning disorders; methylmercury