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Maternal fatty fish intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: findings from a British cohort

Maternal fatty fish intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: findings from a British cohort
Maternal fatty fish intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: findings from a British cohort
Fish is an important source of the essential fatty acids contributing to fetal growth and development, but evidence linking maternal fatty fish consumption with birth outcomes is inconsistent. In the UK, pregnant women are recommended to have no more than two 140 g portions of fatty fish per week. This study aimed to investigate the association between fatty fish consumption before and during pregnancy with preterm birth and size at birth in a prospective birth cohort. Dietary intake data were acquired from a cohort of 1208 pregnant women in Leeds, UK (CARE Study) to assess preconception and trimester-specific fatty fish consumption using questionnaires. Multiple 24-hour recalls during pregnancy were used to estimate an average fatty fish portion size. Intake was classified as ≤2, >2 portions/week and no fish categories. Following exclusion of women taking cod liver oil and/or omega-3 supplements, the associations between fatty fish intake with size at birth and preterm delivery (<37 weeks gestation) were examined in multivariable regression models adjusting for confounders including salivary cotinine. The proportion of women reporting any fatty fish intake decreased throughout pregnancy with the lowest proportion observed in trimester 3 (43%). Mean intakes amongst consumers were considerably lower than that recommended, with the lowest intake amongst consumers observed in the 1st trimester (106 g/week, 95% CI: 99, 113). This was partly due to small portions sizes when consumed, with the mean portion size of fatty fish being 101 g. After adjusting for confounders, no association was observed between fatty fish intake before or during pregnancy with size at birth and preterm delivery.
Nykjaer, Camilla
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Higgs, Charlotte
5d8e1625-54b3-4ab2-8b3c-35aae4a9bd8a
Greenwood, Darren
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Simpson, Nigel
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Cade, Janet
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Alwan, Nisreen
0d37b320-f325-4ed3-ba51-0fe2866d5382
Nykjaer, Camilla
f706c610-061b-498a-a3b0-0ea319848f52
Higgs, Charlotte
5d8e1625-54b3-4ab2-8b3c-35aae4a9bd8a
Greenwood, Darren
d0a5da51-405c-48c5-8864-943e7802f1d2
Simpson, Nigel
c70baed0-db95-4a71-a602-fdaa397cda7a
Cade, Janet
00e4216f-a895-4f13-996a-593a5c597e69
Alwan, Nisreen
0d37b320-f325-4ed3-ba51-0fe2866d5382

Nykjaer, Camilla, Higgs, Charlotte, Greenwood, Darren, Simpson, Nigel, Cade, Janet and Alwan, Nisreen (2019) Maternal fatty fish intake prior to and during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes: findings from a British cohort. Nutrients, 11 (3), [643]. (doi:10.3390/nu11030643).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Fish is an important source of the essential fatty acids contributing to fetal growth and development, but evidence linking maternal fatty fish consumption with birth outcomes is inconsistent. In the UK, pregnant women are recommended to have no more than two 140 g portions of fatty fish per week. This study aimed to investigate the association between fatty fish consumption before and during pregnancy with preterm birth and size at birth in a prospective birth cohort. Dietary intake data were acquired from a cohort of 1208 pregnant women in Leeds, UK (CARE Study) to assess preconception and trimester-specific fatty fish consumption using questionnaires. Multiple 24-hour recalls during pregnancy were used to estimate an average fatty fish portion size. Intake was classified as ≤2, >2 portions/week and no fish categories. Following exclusion of women taking cod liver oil and/or omega-3 supplements, the associations between fatty fish intake with size at birth and preterm delivery (<37 weeks gestation) were examined in multivariable regression models adjusting for confounders including salivary cotinine. The proportion of women reporting any fatty fish intake decreased throughout pregnancy with the lowest proportion observed in trimester 3 (43%). Mean intakes amongst consumers were considerably lower than that recommended, with the lowest intake amongst consumers observed in the 1st trimester (106 g/week, 95% CI: 99, 113). This was partly due to small portions sizes when consumed, with the mean portion size of fatty fish being 101 g. After adjusting for confounders, no association was observed between fatty fish intake before or during pregnancy with size at birth and preterm delivery.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 13 March 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 March 2019
Published date: March 2019

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 428917
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/428917
PURE UUID: b5b66776-7d58-4962-b7db-81da1bb8a6af
ORCID for Nisreen Alwan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4134-8463

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Date deposited: 14 Mar 2019 11:55
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:22

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Contributors

Author: Camilla Nykjaer
Author: Charlotte Higgs
Author: Darren Greenwood
Author: Nigel Simpson
Author: Janet Cade
Author: Nisreen Alwan ORCID iD

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