Abstract
Investigating safe and effective interventions in pregnancy that lower offspring adiposity is important given the burden of obesity and subsequent metabolic derangements. Our objective was to determine if docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) given during pregnancy to obese mothers results in lower offspring adiposity. This study was a long-term follow-up of a randomized trial of mothers with gestational diabetes or obesity who were randomized to receive DHA supplementation at 800 mg/day or placebo (corn/soy oil) starting at 25–29 weeks gestation. Anthropometric measures were collected at birth and maternal erythrocyte DHA and arachidonic (AA) levels were measured at 26 and 36 weeks gestation. At two- and four-year follow-up time points, offspring adiposity measures along with a diet recall were assessed. A significant increase in erythrocyte DHA levels was observed at 36 weeks gestation in the supplemented group (p < 0.001). While no significant differences by measures of adiposity were noted at birth, two or four years by randomization group, duration of breastfeeding (p < 0.001), and DHA level at 36 weeks (p = 0.002) were associated with body mass index z-score. Our data suggest that DHA supplementation during pregnancy in obese mothers may have long-lasting effects on offspring measures of adiposity.
Highlights
The importance of intrauterine nutrition and its influence on fetal programming and the development of future cardiovascular and metabolic disease have long been recognized [1]
The current study evaluated the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation provided in a randomized clinical trial during pregnancy in a high-risk population of obese mothers
There were no significant differences between the completers and non-completers on any maternal characteristic including maternal age, gestational age at enrollment, number of prior pregnancies, or maternal body mass index (BMI)
Summary
The importance of intrauterine nutrition and its influence on fetal programming and the development of future cardiovascular and metabolic disease have long been recognized [1]. The n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential nutrients derived from alpha linolenic acid or obtained from the diet They are biologically active components of the phospholipid membrane with known effects on neuronal development and enhanced production of anti-inflammatory mediators [3,4,5,6,7]. The high ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in both human and animal studies has been implicated in the increasing pro-inflammatory state in multiple conditions including type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity [9]. This rise in the n-6/n-3 ratio of fatty acids in the Western diet corresponds
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