Maternal fish and other seafood intakes during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment at age 4 years

Abstract

Objective: To analyse the relationship between maternal intakes of fish and other seafood during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment at age 4 years. Although pregnant women are advised to limit seafood intakes because of possible neurotoxin contamination, several studies suggest that overall maternal seafood intakes are associated with improved child neurodevelopment, perhaps because of higher DHA intakes. Design: The study uses data from a prospective birth cohort study. Maternal seafood intakes were assessed using a semi-quantitative FFQ administered shortly after delivery. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate associations between seafood consumption and scores on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MCSA). Analyses were stratified by breast-feeding duration as breast milk is a source of DHA during the postnatal phase of the brain growth spurt. Setting: Menorca, Spain, 1997-2001. Subjects: Full-term children (n 392) with data on maternal diet in pregnancy, breast-feeding duration and neurodevelopment at age 4 years. Results: Among children breast-fed for ,6 months, maternal fish intakes of .2-3 times/week were associated with significantly higher scores on several MCSA subscales compared with intakes #1 time/week. There was no association among children breast-fed for longer periods. Maternal intakes of other seafood (shellfish/squid) were, however, inversely associated with scores on several subscales, regardless of breast-feeding duration.Conclusions: The study suggests that moderately high intakes of fish, but not other seafood, during pregnancy may be beneficial for neurodevelopment among children breast-fed for ,6 months. Further research in other populations with high seafood intakes and data on additional potential confounders are needed to confirm this finding.

Seafood Intake and Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review

“…Other studies, however, reported no association between seafood intake during childhood and developmental outcomes. In a Spanish cohort, despite a positive tendency, no significant differences were found on the MSCA score according to child intake of seafood [1]. It may also be of importance to consider the type of fish that is eaten or the way it is prepared.…”

“…In a Spanish cohort, while fish was found to have positive effects, other kinds of seafood were associated with reduced cognitive scores [1] ( Table 1). There may also be differences between fish types, such as was found in a study from the UK, in which the appearance of an effect of fish intake on behavior depended on the type of fish that had been consumed [25] (Table 1).…”

“…Of special interest, seven articles also reported having adjusted in some way for the possible effects of contaminants such as mercury [15, 18•, 22, 24, 26, 27•] or persistent organic pollutants [1,26,27•] (Table 3). In some but not all studies, adjusting for mercury and/or POPs further strengthened the positive association between seafood intake and neurodevelopmental outcomes.…”

“…For example, a Spanish cohort study including 392 4-year-old children reported that prenatal fish intake of two or three servings per week was positively associated with higher IQ in children who had been breastfed for less than 6 months [1]. No association was found for children who had been breastfed for longer.…”

“…Essential nutrients are critical for brain development and function [1]. Humans have particularly long neurodevelopmental periods, and the human brain is in development until the early 20s.…”