Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Ulster University, Londonderry, United Kingdom.
School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
J Nutr. 2020 Jul 1;150(7):1749-1756. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa131.
Maternal status of long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) may be related to fetal growth. Maternal fish consumption exposes the mother to the neurotoxicant methylmercury (MeHg), which, in contrast, may restrict fetal growth.
Our aim was to examine relations between maternal LC-PUFA status at 28 wk and birth outcomes (birth weight, length, and head circumference), controlling for MeHg exposure throughout pregnancy, in the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2. Our secondary aim was to examine the influence of maternal variation in genes regulating the desaturation of LC-PUFAs [fatty acid desaturase (FADS)] on birth outcomes.
From nonfasting blood samples collected at 28 wk of gestation, we measured serum total LC-PUFA concentrations and FADS1 (rs174537, rs174561), FADS1-FADS2rs3834458, and FADS2rs174575 genotypes, with hair total mercury concentrations assessed at delivery. Data were available for n = 1236 mother-child pairs. Associations of maternal LC-PUFAs, MeHg, and FADS genotype with birth outcomes were assessed by multiple linear regression models, adjusting for child sex, gestational age, maternal age, BMI, alcohol use, socioeconomic status, and parity.
In our cohort of healthy mothers, neither maternal LC-PUFA status nor MeHg exposure were significant determinants of birth outcomes. However, when compared with major allele homozygotes, mothers who were heterozygous for the minor allele of FADS1 (rs174537 and rs174561, GT compared with TT, β = 0.205, P = 0.03; TC compared with CC, β = 0.203, P = 0.04) and FADS1-FADS2 (rs3834458, Tdel compared with DelDel, β = 0.197, P = 0.04) had infants with a greater head circumference (all P < 0.05). Homozygosity for the minor allele of FADS2 (rs174575) was associated with a greater birth weight (GG compared with CC, β = 0.109, P = 0.04).
In our mother-child cohort, neither maternal LC-PUFA status nor MeHg exposure was associated with birth outcomes. The observed associations of variation in maternal FADS genotype with birth outcomes should be confirmed in other populations.
长链多不饱和脂肪酸（LC-PUFAs）的母体状况可能与胎儿生长有关。母体鱼类的消费会使母亲接触到神经毒素甲基汞（MeHg），而甲基汞可能会限制胎儿的生长。
我们的目的是在塞舌尔儿童发展研究营养队列 2 中，检查 28 周时母体 LC-PUFA 状况与出生结局（出生体重、身长和头围）之间的关系，同时控制整个孕期的 MeHg 暴露情况。我们的次要目的是研究调节 LC-PUFA 去饱和的母体基因（脂肪酸去饱和酶（FADS））变异对出生结局的影响。
从妊娠 28 周时的非禁食血样中，我们测量了血清总 LC-PUFA 浓度和 FADS1（rs174537、rs174561）、FADS1-FADS2rs3834458 和 FADS2rs174575 基因型，分娩时评估头发总汞浓度。数据可用于 n=1236 对母婴。通过多元线性回归模型评估母体 LC-PUFA、MeHg 和 FADS 基因型与出生结局的关系，调整了儿童性别、胎龄、母亲年龄、BMI、饮酒、社会经济地位和产次。
在我们的健康母亲队列中，母体 LC-PUFA 状况和 MeHg 暴露都不是出生结局的重要决定因素。然而，与主要等位基因纯合子相比，FADS1（rs174537 和 rs174561，GT 与 TT 相比，β=0.205，P=0.03；TC 与 CC 相比，β=0.203，P=0.04）和 FADS1-FADS2（rs3834458，Tdel 与 DelDel 相比，β=0.197，P=0.04）的杂合子母亲所生婴儿的头围更大（均 P<0.05）。FADS2（rs174575）的次要等位基因纯合子与更大的出生体重相关（GG 与 CC 相比，β=0.109，P=0.04）。
在我们的母婴队列中，母体 LC-PUFA 状况和 MeHg 暴露都与出生结局无关。母体 FADS 基因型变异与出生结局之间的观察到的关联应在其他人群中得到证实。
