Prenatal exposure to DDT and neurodevelopment between 42 and 60 months of age: benefit due to omega 3 and 6 fatty acids intake

Abstract

Background: Observational and intervention studies suggest ingestion of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids plays a role in child neurodevelopment. Objective: To assess whether maternal dietary intake of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids during pregnancy, modifies the association between fetal exposure to DDE and child neurodevelopment at 42 to 60 months of age. Methods: We analyzed information from 202 children who participated in a perinatal prospective cohort study, in Mexico. DDE serum levels, were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Dietary intake of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids was estimated by a food frequency questionnaire. Child neurodevelopment was assesed by the McCarthy scale. Results: Many women, at first trimester, reported an intake below the recommendation for α-linolenic and linoleic fatty acids, which improved by third trimester. During the first trimester positive significant associations were identified between dietary intake of docosapentaenoic with the perceptual, verbal and memory components, and between docosahexaenoic intake with the numeric and memory components. A negative association between DDE and perceptual (β-1.32 IC95% -2.45, -0.20; p interaction=0.04) and motor (β-1.73 IC95% -3.15, -0.32; p interaction=0.01) components, remained among children whose mother´s dietary intake of docosahexaenoic fatty acid was below the median in the total study population. Conclusions: Pending these results are confirmed, they indicate the possibility that some omega fatty acids could mitigate the damage caused by neurotoxic neurodevelopmental.