Dietary Intake of Natural Sources of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Folate in Pregnant Women of Three European Cohorts

Abstract

Background: Folic acid plays a fundamental role in cell division and differentiation. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been associated with infantile neurological and cognitive development. Thus, optimal intrauterine development and growth requires adequate supply of these nutrients during pregnancy. Methods: Healthy pregnant women, aged 18–41 years, were recruited in Granada (Spain; n = 62), Munich (Germany; n = 97) and Pécs (Hungary; n = 152). We estimated dietary DHA and folate intake in weeks 20 (w20) and 30 of gestation (w30) using a food frequency questionnaire with specific focus on the dietary sources of folate and DHA. Results: Both w20 and w30 Spanish participants had significantly higher daily DHA intakes (155 ± 13 and 161 ± 9 mg/1,000 kcal) than the German (119 ± 9 and 124 ± 12 mg/1,000 kcal; p = 0.002) and Hungarian participants (122 ± 8 and 125 ± 10 mg/1,000 kcal; p = 0.005). Hungarian women had higher folate intakes in w20 and w30 (149 ± 5 and 147 ± 6 μg/1,000 kcal) than Spanish (112 ± 2 and 110 ± 2 μg/1,000 kcal; p < 0.001) and German participants (126 ± 4 and 120 ± 6 μg/1,000 kcal; p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Dietary DHA and folate intake of pregnant women differs significantly across the three European cohorts. Only 7% of the participants reached the recommended folate intake during pregnancy, whereas nearly 90% reached the DHA recommended intake of 200 mg per day.

Women who take n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements during pregnancy and lactation meet the recommended intake

“…Consistent with previous studies in Canada (Friesen (Nochera et al 2011;Hibbeln et al 2007;Oken et al 2004), and Europe (Rodriquez-Bernal et al 2013;Franke et al 2008), the majority of pregnant and lactating women in the APrON cohort were not meeting any of the various agencies' n-3 LCPUFA recommendations for pregnancy and lactation. However, our study is, to our knowledge, the first to report the estimated intake and sources of n-3 LCPUFA across all trimesters of pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum.…”

Inverse Association between <i>trans</i> Isomeric and Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Pregnant Women and Their Newborns: Data from Three European Countries

“…The assumption of different natural dietary DHA intakes in the three study populations was confirmed later on by the analysis of food frequency questionnaire data recorded during the study [16]. Either expressed in absolute amounts or adjusted for energy intakes, the amount of DHA was significantly higher in the diet of Spanish than in the diet of German or Hungarian mothers.…”

“…Either expressed in absolute amounts or adjusted for energy intakes, the amount of DHA was significantly higher in the diet of Spanish than in the diet of German or Hungarian mothers. Absolute amounts of DHA intakes were also significantly higher in Hungarian than in German mothers [16]; however, this difference disappeared following adjustment for energy intakes. …”

Systematic Review on N-3 and N-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake in European Countries in Light of the Current Recommendations - Focus on Specific Population Groups

“…However, even when diets were evaluated over a longer period, foods may have been grouped together (e.g., n-3 PUFA-rich fish and fish less rich in n-3 PUFAs), which may reduce the specificity of intake data. Second, some studies took the use of food supplements into consideration [40,41,42] or even selected participants based on very high seafood consumption (a survey in French coastal populations) [43], while others specifically excluded fish oil supplement users [44,45,46] and some studies just did not report whether or not supplements were taken into consideration. Also, in some countries the use of food supplements in general (not specifically, n-3 PUFA supplements) by pregnant and lactating women is quite common (e.g., in the study of Rodriguez-Bernal, 55.8% of the women report the use of multivitamin supplements) [42], which may explain the large variation in PUFA intake.…”