Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Clin Nutr. 2018 Jun;37(3):984-992. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2017.04.006. Epub 2017 Apr 13.
Exposure to different concentrations of fatty acids during fetal life may affect growth and metabolism. However, most studies examined individual fatty acids, whereas concentrations highly correlate and may interact with each other. We aimed to evaluate patterns of plasma fatty acids during pregnancy and their associations with growth, body composition, and cardiometabolic health of the 6-year-old offspring.
This study was performed in 4830 mother-child pairs participating in a population-based cohort in the Netherlands. Around 20 weeks of gestation, we measured plasma phospholipid concentrations of 22 fatty acids, in which we identified three fatty acid patterns using principal component analysis: a 'high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)' pattern, a 'monounsaturated and saturated fatty acid (MUFA and SFA)' pattern, and a 'high n-3 PUFA' pattern. When the children were 6 years old, we measured their anthropometrics and detailed body composition (using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and we calculated their body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI). At the same age, children's blood pressure, and serum insulin, HDL-cholesterol, and triacylglycerol were measured.
After adjustment for confounders and the other patterns, a higher score for the 'high n-6 PUFA' pattern during pregnancy was associated with a higher height, BMI, and FFMI in the offspring at 6 years, but not independently with cardiometabolic outcomes. The 'MUFA and SFA' pattern was not consistently associated with child body composition or cardiometabolic health. A higher score for the 'high n-3 PUFA' pattern was associated with a lower FMI, higher FFMI, higher HDL-cholesterol, and lower triacylglycerol.
Our results suggest that plasma fatty acid patterns during pregnancy may affect offspring's body composition and cardiometabolic health. Specifically, a pattern characterized by high n-3 PUFA levels was associated with a more favorable body composition and blood lipid profile.
胎儿期暴露于不同浓度的脂肪酸可能会影响生长和代谢。然而，大多数研究只检查了单一的脂肪酸，而实际上这些脂肪酸的浓度高度相关，并且可能相互作用。我们旨在评估孕妇血浆脂肪酸模式及其与 6 岁后代生长、身体成分和心脏代谢健康的关系。
本研究纳入了荷兰一项基于人群的队列中的 4830 对母婴对。在妊娠 20 周左右时，我们测量了血浆磷脂中 22 种脂肪酸的浓度，并用主成分分析识别出三种脂肪酸模式：“高 n-6 多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）”模式、“单不饱和和饱和脂肪酸（MUFA 和 SFA）”模式和“高 n-3 PUFA”模式。当孩子 6 岁时，我们测量了他们的身高、体重、体成分（使用双能 X 射线吸收法），并计算了他们的体重指数（BMI）、脂肪质量指数（FMI）、瘦体重指数（FFMI）。在同一时期，还测量了儿童的血压以及血清胰岛素、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇和三酰甘油。
在调整了混杂因素和其他模式后，妊娠期间“高 n-6 PUFA”模式评分较高与儿童 6 岁时身高、BMI 和 FFMI 较高有关，但与心脏代谢结局无关。“MUFA 和 SFA”模式与儿童身体成分或心脏代谢健康没有一致的相关性。“高 n-3 PUFA”模式评分较高与 FMI 较低、FFMI 较高、HDL 胆固醇较高和三酰甘油较低有关。
我们的研究结果表明，孕妇血浆脂肪酸模式可能影响后代的身体成分和心脏代谢健康。具体而言，高 n-3 PUFA 水平特征的模式与更理想的身体成分和血脂谱相关。
