Associations between maternal fish intakes, maternal and cord PUFA and longitudinal measures of child weight at birth, 20 months and at 7 and 13 years of age

Prenatal exposure to PUFA has been associated with child weight at birth and may have a persistent effect on adiposity development across childhood. Fish is the richest dietary source of n-3 PUFA, albeit few studies have investigated associations between maternal fish consumption during pregnancy and child weight. This study examines associations between maternal fish consumption and prenatal PUFA status (<i>n</i>-3 and <i>n</i>-6), with longitudinal measures of child weight in the high fish-eating Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2. Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy was assessed using a Fish Use Questionnaire administered at 28 weeks' gestation. Serum PUFA were quantified in maternal blood collected at 28 weeks' gestation and in cord blood collected at delivery. Birth weight was measured at delivery and classified according to WHO growth standards (<i>n</i> 1185). Child length/height (m) and weight (kg) were recorded at 20 months (<i>n</i> 1182), 7 (<i>n</i> 1167) and 13 (<i>n</i> 878) years. Child BMI was classified according to <i>z</i>-scores. Maternal total fish consumption (range: 0·0-584·71 g/d) was not associated with child weight at any age. At 7 and 13 years, maternal total <i>n</i>-6 PUFA were associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity (7 years; OR = 1·62, <i>p</i> = 0·037, 13 years; OR = 2·05, <i>p</i> = 0·005). Lower (<0·071 mg/ml) cord DHA concentrations were associated with a greater likelihood of being large for gestational age (LGA; >90th percentile) when compared with higher (>0·129 mg/ml) cord DHA concentrations (OR 4·17, <i>p</i> = 0·017). This study suggests that prenatal maternal <i>n</i>-3 and <i>n</i>-6 PUFA status may influence postnatal outcomes, including child adiposity from birth until adolescence.