The Impact of Nutritional Fatty Acids during Pregnancy and Lactation on Early Human Adipose Tissue Development

Abstract

Recent observational studies suggest that mean birth weight and body fat growth in the first year of life have increased continuously over the last decades. Both elevated birth weight and early fat mass are potential risk factors for childhood obesity. Experimental and limited clinical data suggest that the dietary ratio of n–6 to n–3 fatty acids (FAs) during pregnancy is critical for early adipose tissue growth. The aim of this randomized controlled study is to examine the effect of the supplementation with n–3 long-chain polyunsaturated FAs and reduction in the n–6/n–3 ratio in the diet of pregnant women/breast-feeding mothers on adipose tissue growth in their newborns using various methods for the assessment of body fat mass. Measurement of skinfold thickness in the newborn is the primary outcome parameter. Two hundred and four pregnant women will be recruited before the 15th week of gestation and randomly assigned to either active intervention or an isocaloric control diet. This upcoming study will explore the potential of this dietary approach to limit early adipose tissue growth and may contribute to the development of a new strategy for the primary prevention of childhood obesity.

Effect of reducing the n‐6/n‐3 fatty acid ratio on the maternal and fetal leptin axis in relation to infant body composition

“…The study rationale and design, baseline characteristics of the pregnant women as well as the clinical results on infant body composition up to 1 year of age were previously described in detail (15,16). In brief, 208 healthy pregnant women with a prepregnancy BMI between 18 and 30 kg m 22 were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group from the 15th week of gestation until 4 months postpartum (pp).…”

Breast milk fatty acid profile in relation to infant growth and body composition: results from the INFAT study

“…The INFAT trial was designed as a proof-of-concept study to test the hypothesis that lowering the n-6/n-3 long-chain FA ratio in the diet of pregnant/breastfeeding women may reduce the expansion of adipose tissue growth early in life and may, thereby, represent a completely novel approach for the primary prevention of childhood obesity. The study rationale and design, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the clinical results regarding infant fat mass up to 1 y of age have been published elsewhere (13,15).…”

“…In brief, 208 healthy women around their 14th wk of gestation were enrolled into the INFAT study and randomly assigned either to a dietary intervention (1,200 mg n-3 LCPUFAs per day (1,020 mg DHA and 180 mg EPA) + instructions to normalize their AA intake to 90 mg/d) or a control group (healthy diet according to the current guidelines in Germany) from the 15th wk of gestation until 4 mo postpartum (13).…”

“…The objective of this analysis was to determine the effects of circulating LCPUFAs in infant blood and in breast milk samples as potential determinants of infant body and adipose tissue growth (13). Written informed consent was obtained from all the subjects before starting the study.…”

“…The INFAT (The Impact of Nutritional Fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation for early human Adipose Tissue development) study addresses the question as to whether lowering the n-6/n-3 long-chain fatty acid (FA) ratio in the diet of pregnant and breastfeeding women may reduce adipose tissue growth early in life and could, thereby, offer a completely novel approach for the primary prevention of childhood obesity (13). This hypothesis was originally proposed by Ailhaud et al based on data from various sources suggesting a proadipogenic effect of arachidonic acid (AA) and a counteracting effect of n-3 LCPUFAs (14).…”