Fatty fish intake in mothers during pregnancy and in their children in relation to the development of obesity and overweight in childhood: The prospective ABIS study

Abstract

Summary Background Although controversial, lower maternal intake of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) during pregnancy and lower levels of omega‐3 PUFA in serum phospholipids during childhood have been related to obesity. The main source of omega‐3 PUFA is fatty fish in the diet. Objectives To assess the relationship between overweight/obesity and the intake of fatty fish in maternal diet during pregnancy and in children up to 8 years of age. Methods The prospective cohort All Children in South‐East Sweden (ABIS) followed babies from birth to 8 years of age. A total of 6749 children at 5 years of age (boys 52.6%) and 3017 children at 8 years (boys 52.3%) participated. A “fatty‐fish index” was constructed on the basis of self‐reports of nutritional habits. Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children at 5 years were 12.9% and 4.2%, respectively. At 8 years, 12.2% of the children presented overweight and 2.3% obesity. Girls were more affected than boys by overweight/obesity. A higher fish index during pregnancy was not related to overweight/obesity in the children, whereas a higher fish index in the children during the first years of life was related to obesity at 5 and 8 years of age. This relationship disappeared in a multivariable analysis. Maternal body mass index (BMI), maternal education, maternal smoking during pregnancy, birth weight, and physical activity all remained related to overweight/obesity at both 5 and 8 years of age. Conclusion No relationships were found between a lower intake of fatty fish in the diet, neither in mothers during pregnancy nor in early childhood, and increased risk of overweight/obesity.

Predicting the development of overweight and obesity in children between 2.5 and 8 years of age: The prospective ABIS study

“…Complete data regarding length and weight at all three follow‐up time points were available in 1783 children and were the basis for the analysis of BMI tracking between 2.5 and 8 years of age. The prevalence of overweigh and obesity in the children at 5 and 8 years and other demographic, perinatal and nutritional factors have been reported previously 31 . This subsample of the ABIS cohort was found to be representative of the main cohort.…”

“…Demographic factors (e.g., maternal and paternal education, household income after taxation, living area at birth and gender of the child) and perinatal factors (e.g., maternal age at delivery, gestational age, birth weight, maternal nutrition and maternal smoking during pregnancy) related to the development of overweight/obesity in this group have been previously reported 31 . Other social data, such as single motherhood at child's birth and reported serious life events in the family before 5 and 8 years age of the child, were also obtained in the questionnaires.…”

Dietary Intake, Nutritional Adequacy and Food Sources of Total Fat and Fatty Acids, and Relationships with Personal and Family Factors in Spanish Children Aged One to <10 Years: Results of the EsNuPI Study

“…As described by others, the main sources of n-3 and DHA are fish, milk and dairy products, and meat and meat products [62,73]. We observe that in our study population, the contribution of fish to n-3 intake increases very little with age.…”

Prevalence of overweight and obesity from 5 to 19 years of age in Gothenburg, Sweden

“…However, BMI changes with age during development, and the obesity diagnosis for growing children and adolescents is therefore based on age-specific BMI cut-offs, with several definitions available. [13][14][15][16][17] The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Swedish children aged 6-9 years has been described by the Public Health Agency of Sweden 18 and in previous studies reflecting Swedish children [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] (Table S1) as well as international cohorts. 1 However, the prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight has not been described in a recent Swedish cohort covering the entire school age range.…”