MADRID, Spain—The European Commission-funded NUTRIMENTHE project detailed the recent research on genotype and fatty acid metabolism during pregnancy at its symposium, “Nutrition and Cognitive Function,” at the recent European Nutrition Conference in Madrid in late October. NUTRIMENTHE Partner Eva Lattka, Ph.D., from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, presented results published from the NUTRIMENTHE project and ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children).
Lattka noted ALSPAC has shown eating fish during pregnancy has a direct effect on later childhood IQ scores, particularly verbal intelligence at age eight. More specifically, the study found children born to mothers who reported the highest intakes of fish during pregnancy had better scores on tests for verbal intelligence, fine motor skills and pro-social behavior (giving helping and sharing).
NUTRIMENTHE takes this research further by examining the underlying mechanisms and the impact of genetic variation. The project has focused on polymorphisms in the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster that codes for the enzymes delta-5 and delta-6 desaturase enzymes involved in the synthesis of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Lattka noted omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are supplied to the developing child by placental transfer via the umbilical cord but the influence of maternal and child FADS genotypes on the levels of these fatty acids have not been explored until now. Results presented at the symposium indicated polymorphisms in the FADS gene cluster influence how fatty acids are processed by a woman during pregnancy.
Researchers took blood samples from women at 20 weeks of pregnancy and from the umbilical cord at birth, and analyzed the samples for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and for the genotyping of 18 FADS single nucleotide polymorphisms. Fatty acids from cord blood from more than 2,000 mothers and children were analyzed, and the dominant genetic influence (mother or child) on cord blood fatty acids was determined. Lattka detailed how the composition of fatty acids in cord blood is dependent on maternal and child genotypes, noting maternal genotypes are mainly associated with omega-6 precursors, and child genotypes are mainly associated with omega-6 products. Levels of DHA were equally associated with maternal and child genotypes.
“There is more contribution to omega-6 fatty acid synthesis by the foetus than previously expected, DHA levels are dependent on both maternal and child metabolism” and that “DHA supplied by the mother might be very important," Lattka concluded.
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