Study finds eating fish during pregnancy has no effect on child's heart health

Recent research published in journals nutrients reported that maternal fish intake during pregnancy had no effect on the cardiovascular health of children born to these mothers at the age of 11 years.

study: Maternal seafood intake during pregnancy and cardiovascular health of 11-year-old children. Image credit: Tomsickova Tatyana / Shutterstock.com

background

Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for approximately 18 million deaths each year and are the leading cause of death worldwide. Many of these diseases can be prevented by implementing certain modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise.

Recent evidence shows that people who regularly consume fish have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Fatty fish is rich in n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have anti-inflammatory, antiarrhythmic, and antihypertensive properties that benefit the cardiovascular system. You can make an impact.

Eating a healthy diet during pregnancy is important for optimal growth and development of the fetus. In fact, the fetus is completely dependent on the mother's dietary omega-3s for development.

research design

The current longitudinal study enrolled 657 pregnant women and were monitored throughout pregnancy until the birth of their child. All children born to these mothers were enrolled in the study at birth and followed until they reached 11 to 12 years of age.

The women were asked to complete a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to help researchers assess their daily food intake during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. The cardiovascular health of children born to these mothers was assessed by arterial stiffness and retinal microcirculation.

Arterial stiffness was assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. Retinal microcirculation was assessed by photographic measurements of central retinal arteriole and venular equivalents. Importantly, both arterial stiffness and retinal microcirculation are widely used parameters to assess cardiovascular outcomes.

important findings

At baseline, approximately 88% of women enrolled in the study had normal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) values. Approximately 44% of the children had one parent who had a history of at least one cardiovascular event, including heart attack, angina pectoris, stroke, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, diabetes, or hypertension.

Women who reported high fish intake had significantly higher energy intake during pregnancy compared to women with lower fish intake. Median maternal total seafood intake during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy was 451.9 g/week and 433.8 g/week, respectively.

Children born to mothers who consumed more fish during pregnancy also reported significantly higher fish intake. Remarkably, the gender distribution of children born to mothers in different tertiles of fish intake was similar.

The researchers found no significant differences in cardiovascular parameters assessed between children born to mothers who consumed more and less fish during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. Nevertheless, slightly higher arterial stiffness was observed in children whose mothers consumed more canned tuna during early pregnancy.

Significance of the research

Maternal fish intake during pregnancy does not appear to affect the cardiovascular health of children up to 11 years of age. These observations are consistent with many other studies that have reported that fish intake during pregnancy has no beneficial effects on children's cardiovascular health.

Important limitations of the current study include the overall youth and health status of the study participants, so it is possible that no significant differences were observed between these small differences between individuals. there is. Additionally, decreased pulse wave velocity is commonly reported in adults with pre-existing health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Additionally, the overall high levels of fish intake reported in the study cohort may increase the risk of children born to these mothers being exposed to high levels of mercury, potentially increasing the risk associated with fish intake. cardiovascular benefits may necessarily be reduced. Other limitations include the observational nature of the study and the use of a food frequency questionnaire that is susceptible to measurement error.

Despite these limitations, the study has several strengths, including examining total fish intake and intake of different types of seafood. Additionally, the robust follow-up protocol allowed the researchers to measure cardiovascular endpoints in an understudied pediatric population.