Maternal plasma fatty acids at delivery are associated with newborn weight and anthropometric measures in children at 3-7 years.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Maternal fatty acid (FA) status is thought to influence fetal growth. However, limited studies have examined maternal fatty acid status in mothers delivering SGA (small for gestational age) babies in India, where the prevalence of SGA births is high. This study investigates maternal and cord FA status in mothers delivering SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) babies. We also report associations of maternal and cord FA with child growth parameters at the age 3-7 years.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

This study included 671 mother-offspring dyads, categorized into two groups SGA (n = 281) and AGA (n = 390). Independent t-tests compared means among the groups, and multiple linear regression analyses determined associations between FA and child outcomes. Mothers delivering SGA babies exhibited higher maternal monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and Δ6 desaturase index (p < 0.05) and lower polyunsaturated fatty acids levels (PUFA) (p < 0.05). Cord DHA (p < 0.01) and total n-3 (p < 0.05) levels were higher in the SGA group. SGA children had lower BMI, mid-upper arm, head, chest, hip, and waist circumference (all p < 0.01) and sum of skinfolds (SS) (p < 0.05). A higher maternal n-6/n-3 ratio was positively associated with children's SS (0.1 SD [95 %CI 0.01, 0.19] p = 0.04). Cord Δ6 Desaturase index was positively correlated with SS (0.15 SD [95 %CI 0.06, 0.25] p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the important role of fatty acids in pregnancy and indicate a possible association with children's adiposity.