Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids at birth and cognitive function at 7 y of age

Abstract

Objective: During the central nervous system (CNS) growth spurt, rapid accretion of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) takes place. This particularly concerns docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6), which are thought to play important roles in CNS development and function. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive performance at 7 y of age and LCPUFA levels in umbilical venous plasma phospholipids, representing the prenatal fatty acid availability, and in plasma phospholipids sampled at 7 y. Design: As part of a follow-up study, the cognitive performance of 306 children, born at term, was assessed at 7 y of age with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. Backward stepwise regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the outcomes and LCPUFA status. Social class, maternal intelligence and parenting skills were included as covariables, among others. Results: Results show no significant association with either DHA or AA at birth and the cognitive performance at 7 y of age. The LCPUFA levels at 7 y were not associated with these outcomes either. Consistent with the literature, significant relationships were found between cognitive outcome measures and maternal education, maternal intelligence and the child's birthweight. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results do not provide evidence for a positive association between cognitive performance at 7 y and LCPUFA status at birth or at 7 y of age. Sponsorship: University Hospital Maastricht (Profileringsfonds: financial support) and Royal Numico, Wageningen, The Netherlands (blinded fatty acid analyses of the blood samples at follow-up).

Impact of prenatal methylmercury exposure on neurobehavioral function at age 14 years

“…This tendency caused a poor fit of one of the structural equation models. Although a chance finding cannot be excluded, one must also consider the possibility that MeHg exposure may be associated with intake of essential nutrients from seafood, and that, for example, long-chain n-3 fatty acids may have beneficial effects on brain development [1,22]. Partial adjustment for this factor was provided by adding maternal fish intake during pregnancy as a covariate.…”

Relationship between long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids at birth and motor function at 7 years of age

“…There were no differences in baseline clinical characteristics between the participants and nonparticipants, except for a small difference in umbilical plasma AA percentages (16.6 versus 16.9% in participants and nonparticipants, respectively; Bakker et al, 2003). One hundred forty-four children had been breast-fed, 161 children only received artificial formulas without LCPUFA.…”

“…As described before (Bakker et al, 2003), 306 of these children eventually participated in the follow-up study. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of each participant.…”

“…Cognitive function was assessed with the Kaufman-Assessment Battery for Children at 7 years of age, as a part of the follow-up study (Bakker et al, 2003), and included in these analyses because motor function is known to be associated with cognition (Soorani-Lunsing et al, 1993;Weisglas-Kuperus et al, 1994). Furthermore, motor function is known to be associated with gender, gestational age and age at measurement (Henderson and Hall, 1982;Johnston et al, 1987).…”

“…Fatty acid profiles of umbilical venous plasma phospholipids and of venous plasma phospholipids sampled at 7 years of age were determined as described before (Bakker et al, 2003). All blood samples from 7-year-olds were obtained in a fasted state.…”