Fish intake during pregnancy, fetal growth, and gestational length in 19 European birth cohort studies

V. Leventakou, T. Roumeliotaki, D. Martinez, H. Barros, A.L. Brantsaeter, M. Casas, M.A. Charles, S. Cordier, M. Eggesbo, M. van Eijsden, F. Forastiere, U. Gehring, E. Govarts, T.I. Halldórsson, W. Hanke, M. Haugen, D.H.M. Heppe, B. Heude, H.M. Inskip, V.W.V. JaddoeM. Jansen, C. Kelleher, H.M. Meltzer, F. Merletti, C. Moltó-Puigmartí, M. Mommers, M. Murcia, A. Oliveira, S.F. Olsen, F. Pele, K. Polanska, D. Porta, L. Richiardi, S.M. Robinson, H. Stigum, M. Strom, J. Sunyer, C. Thijs, K. Viljoen, T.G.M. Vrijkotte, A.H. Wijga, M. Kogevinas, M. Vrijheid, L. Chatzi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Fish is a rich source of essential nutrients for fetal development, but in contrast, it is also a well-known route of exposure to environmental pollutants. Objective: We assessed whether fish intake during pregnancy is associated with fetal growth and the length of gestation in a panel of European birth cohort studies. Design: The study sample of 151,880 mother-child pairs was derived from 19 population-based European birth cohort studies. Individual data from cohorts were pooled and harmonized. Adjusted cohort-specific effect estimates were combined by using a random-and fixed-effects meta-analysis. Results: Women who ate fish >1 time/wk during pregnancy had lower risk of preterm birth than did women who rarely ate fish (<= 1 time/wk); the adjusted RR of fish intake >1 but <3 times/wk was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.92), and for intake >= 3 times/wk, the adjusted RR was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.96). Women with a higher intake of fish during pregnancy gave birth to neonates with a higher birth weight by 8.9 g (95% CI: 3.3, 14.6 g) for >1 but <3 times/wk and 15.2 g (95% CI: 8.9, 21.5 g) for >= 3 times/wk independent of gestational age. The association was greater in smokers and in overweight or obese women. Findings were consistent across cohorts. Conclusion: This large, international study indicates that moderate fish intake during pregnancy is associated with lower risk of preterm birth and a small but significant increase in birth weight.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)506-516
Number of pages11
JournalAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume99
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2014

Keywords

  • MATERNAL SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION
  • POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS
  • RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
  • CHILD COHORT
  • POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS
  • NORWEGIAN MOTHER
  • DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID
  • DHA SUPPLEMENTATION
  • PRETERM BIRTH
  • INFANT SIZE

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