Relationships between seafood consumption during pregnancy and childhood and neurocognitive development: Two systematic reviews

Abstract

Abundant data are now available to evaluate relationships between seafood consumption in pregnancy and childhood and neurocognitive development. We conducted two systematic reviews utilizing methodologies detailed by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Scientific Advisory Committee 2020-2025. After reviewing 44 publications on 106,237 mother-offspring pairs and 25,960 children, our technical expert committee developed two conclusion statements that included the following: "Moderate and consistent evidence indicates that consumption of a wide range of amounts and types of commercially available seafood during pregnancy is associated with improved neurocognitive development of offspring as compared to eating no seafood. Overall, benefits to neurocognitive development began at the lowest amounts of seafood consumed (∼4 oz/wk) and continued through the highest amounts, above 12 oz/wk, some range up to > 100 oz/wk.", "This evidence does not meet the criteria for "strong evidence" only due to a paucity of randomized controlled trials that may not be ethical or feasible to conduct for pregnancy" and "Moderate and consistent evidence indicates that consumption of > 4 oz/wk and likely > 12 oz/wk of seafood during childhood has beneficial associations with neurocognitive outcomes." No net adverse neurocognitive outcomes were reported among offspring at the highest ranges of seafood intakes despite associated increases in mercury exposures. Data are insufficient for conclusive statements regarding lactation, optimal amounts, categories or specific species characterized by mercury content and neurocognitive development; although there is some evidence that dark/oily seafood may be more beneficial. Research was conducted in healthy women and children and is generalizable to US populations. Assessment of seafood as a whole food integrates inherently integrates any adverse effects from neurotoxicants, if any, and benefits to neurocognition from omega-3 fats, as well as other nutrients critical to optimal neurological development. Understanding of the effects of seafood consumption on neurocognition can have significant public health implications. rich source of key nutrients that are biologically essential for optimal fetal and child neurodevelopment including iodine, vitamin B 12 , iron, vitamin D, zinc, manganese and highly unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids [1]. Women are more likely to the achieve optimal intakes of these nutrients when consuming seafood in pregnancy [2].

Maternal Factors Associated with Levels of Fatty Acids, Specifically n-3 PUFA during Pregnancy: ECLIPSES Study

“…In view of these findings, an optimal n-3 PUFA concentration and n-6/n-3 and AA/EPA ratios at the beginning of the pregnancy are needed to assure an adequate concentration and store throughout the pregnancy and even the lactation period [8]. Therefore, to acquire healthy eating habits, including fish and seafood consumption, it is essential to achieve an optimal EPA and DHA concentration at the beginning and during pregnancy, which could contribute to improving child neurodevelopment and protection from autism-spectrum traits [39][40][41]. In particular, higher maternal n-6/n-3 ratios and higher maternal concentra-tions of total n-6 PUFA are among potential environmental risk factors that are associated to autism spectrum disorder [39,42] and immune system disease [43].…”

Periconceptional and prenatal exposure to metal mixtures in relation to behavioral development at 3 years of age

“…Additionally, confounding by maternal seafood consumption is possible, as seafood contains both essential nutrients and certain metals (e.g., Hg) that may be neurodevelopmentally significant. 62 , 63 We anticipate that the inclusion of additional covariates that control confounding and/or predict the behavioral outcomes would likely have increased the precision of our effect estimates; however, it is unclear whether the net uncontrolled bias owing to confounding for each effect estimate is likely to be toward or away from the null hypothesis of no effect.…”

Maternal prenatal vitamin B12 intake is associated with speech development and mathematical abilities in childhood

“…There is substantial evidence to demonstrate that environmental exposures in pregnancy can have a major effect on the development of the child, particularly on cognition, since neurodevelopment occurs rapidly during the intrauterine period [1 , 2] . Diet in pregnancy, for example, has been shown to be particularly beneficial in regard to the child's intelligence quotient (IQ) if it contains fish [3 , 4] ; iodine has also been shown to be one of the important components, with children born to women deficient in iodine having reductions in reading and verbal IQ [5] .…”