Abstract
In the course of pregnancy, increasing importance is being placed on maintaining optimal fatty acid (FA) levels and particularly n-3 PUFAs to ensure correct fetal development. However, reference ranges for FA have been reported in only a few studies. Our objective is to provide quantitative reference intervals for SFAs, MUFAs, and PUFAs (n-6 and n-3) in a large population of healthy pregnant women from a developed country. A prospective study of pregnant women (n = 479) was conducted from the first trimester (T1) to the third trimester (T3). A total of 11 fatty acids were analyzed in serum by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and were expressed as absolute (µmol/L) and relative (percentage of total FA) concentration units. Serum concentrations of SFAs, MUFAs, n-6 PUFAs, n-3 PUFAs, various FA ratios, and the EFA index were determined. The reference intervals (2.5/97.5 percentiles) in absolute values from T1 ranged from 1884.32 to 8802.81 µmol/L for SFAs, from 959.91 to 2979.46 µmol/L for MUFAs, from 2325.77 to 7735.74 µmol/L for n-6 PUFAs, and from 129.01 to 495.58 µmol/L for n-3 PUFAs. These intervals mainly include the values of other studies from European populations. However, reference ranges vary according to some maternal factors. The FA levels proposed, obtained from a large sample of pregnant women, will be a useful tool for assessing the degree of adequacy of FAs in pregnant women and will help to carry out dietary interventions based on certain maternal factors.
Highlights
Maternal diet during the periconceptional, pregnancy and lactation period is important for both mother and child [1,2], and the fatty acid (FA) levels play a crucial role during pregnancy [3,4,5]
We found that the women with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, lower educational level and those of non-Spanish ethnicity had higher levels of total saturated fatty acids (SFAs), total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and arachidonic acid (AA), and lower levels of total n-3 PUFA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
The present study provides the serum reference interval for FA levels in a large sample of pregnant women from a Mediterranean region
Summary
Maternal diet during the periconceptional, pregnancy and lactation period is important for both mother and child [1,2], and the fatty acid (FA) levels play a crucial role during pregnancy [3,4,5]. Correct concentrations (or status) both in the first trimester (T1) and the third trimester (T3) of pregnancy are of great importance considering their role during the onset of neurogenesis [7,8], and the fetal brain development [8]. Maternal serum FA levels change in the course of pregnancy, depending on fetal requirements. In this context, it is necessary to monitor FA concentration values throughout pregnancy so that deficiency can be detected. Reference ranges are the most useful tool to evaluate the adequacy of nutritional status [9], and even in future studies these values can be used to identify women who are at risk of an adverse health outcome
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