Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jun;67(6):658-63. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.68. Epub 2013 Apr 3.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Fatty-acid status during in-utero development might influence the risk of atopic diseases in early childhood. The aim of this work was to identify the relationship between maternal plasma and cord blood fatty acid (FA) composition and the risk of atopic eczema in the offspring at 14 months of age.
SUBJECTS/METHODS: Two hundred and eleven non-atopic mothers and their children were studied. Mothers were recruited in their first trimester of gestation and children were monitored until 14 months of age. Samples of maternal plasma and cord blood plasma were analyzed to determine the FA profile of total lipids. Presence of atopic eczema in the infants was documented through questionnaires at 6 and 14 months of age.
Higher concentrations of total long-chain polyunsaturated FA (LC-PUFA) were found in maternal plasma of non-atopic children in relation to atopic group. Moreover, this maternal plasma LC-PUFA content was negatively correlated with the atopic eczema (odds ratios (OR)=0.83, P=0.04) in infants. Regarding cord blood samples, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA C22:6n3) and the sum of total n-3 and of LC-PUFA n-3 showed a negative correlation with the prevalence of the disease (OR=0.50, 0.49 and 0.49, respectively).
Our results show that the fatty-acid status of the fetus during pregnancy has an important role in the development of atopic eczema in early childhood. The prevalence of this atopic disorder is related to lower cord blood plasma levels of FA belonging to n-3 series, especially DHA.
背景/目的：胎儿在子宫内发育过程中的脂肪酸状态可能会影响儿童早期特应性疾病的风险。本研究旨在确定母体血浆和脐血脂肪酸（FA）组成与后代 14 个月时特应性湿疹风险之间的关系。
受试者/方法：本研究纳入了 211 名非特应性母亲及其子女。母亲在妊娠早期被招募，对子女进行了 14 个月的监测。分析了母体血浆和脐血血浆样本，以确定总脂质的 FA 谱。通过 6 个月和 14 个月的问卷调查来确定婴儿是否存在特应性湿疹。
与特应性组相比，非特应性儿童的母体血浆中总长链多不饱和脂肪酸（LC-PUFA）浓度更高。此外，这种母体血浆 LC-PUFA 含量与婴儿的特应性湿疹呈负相关（比值比（OR）=0.83，P=0.04）。关于脐血样本，二十二碳六烯酸（DHA C22:6n3）和总 n-3 及 LC-PUFA n-3 的总和与疾病的患病率呈负相关（OR=0.50、0.49 和 0.49）。
我们的研究结果表明，妊娠期间胎儿的脂肪酸状态在儿童早期特应性湿疹的发展中起着重要作用。这种特应性疾病的患病率与 n-3 系列 FA，特别是 DHA 的脐血血浆水平较低有关。
