Maternal Consumption of Seafood in Pregnancy and Child Neuropsychological Development: A Longitudinal Study Based on a Population With High Consumption Levels

Seafood consumption during pregnancy is thought to be beneficial for child neuropsychological development, but to our knowledge no large cohort studies with high fatty fish consumption have analyzed the association by seafood subtype. We evaluated 1,892 and 1,589 mother-child pairs at the ages of 14 months and 5 years, respectively, in a population-based Spanish birth cohort established during 2004-2008. Bayley and McCarthy scales and the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test were used to assess neuropsychological development. Results from multivariate linear regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and further adjusted for umbilical cord blood mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Overall, consumption of seafood above the recommended limit of 340 g/week was associated with 10-g/week increments in neuropsychological scores. By subtype, in addition to lean fish, consumption of large fatty fish showed a positive association; offspring of persons within the highest quantile (>238 g/week) had an adjusted increase of 2.29 points in McCarthy general cognitive score (95% confidence interval: 0.42, 4.16). Similar findings were observed for the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Beta coefficients diminished 15%-30% after adjustment for mercury or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. Consumption of large fatty fish during pregnancy presents moderate child neuropsychological benefits, including improvements in cognitive functioning and some protection from autism-spectrum traits.

Beverage Intake During Pregnancy and Childhood Adiposity

OBJECTIVES

To examine associations of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) and other beverage intake during pregnancy with adiposity in midchildhood (median age of 7.7 years).

METHODS

We studied 1078 mother-child pairs in Project Viva, a prospective prebirth cohort study. Exposures were sugary and nonsugary beverage intake assessed in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy by using a food frequency questionnaire. Main outcome measures were offspring overall adiposity (BMI z score, fat mass index [FMI, kg/m²] from dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry, and sum of subscapular [SS] and triceps [TR] skinfold thicknesses) and central adiposity (SS:TR ratio and waist circumference).

RESULTS

In the second trimester, mean (SD) SSB intake was 0.6 (0.9) servings per day. Thirty-two percent of mothers were multiracial or people of color, 68% were college graduates, and 10% smoked during pregnancy. In midchildhood, mean (SD) BMI z score was 0.38 (1.00), and the FMI was 4.4 (1.9) kg/m². In multivariable models adjusted for multiple maternal and child covariates, each additional serving per day of SSB was associated with higher BMI z scores (0.07 U; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.01 to 0.15), FMI (0.15 kg/m²; 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.30), SS + TR (0.85 mm; 95% CI: 0.06 to 1.64), and waist circumference (0.65 cm; 95% CI: 0.01 to 1.28). Stratified models suggested that the associations were due primarily to maternal, not child, SSB intake and to sugary soda rather than fruit drinks or juice. We did not find differences between boys and girls, nor did we observe the effects of sugar-free soda or of first-trimester beverage intake.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher SSB intake during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with greater adiposity in midchildhood.

0490 Longitudinal associations between sleep and behavior and cognition in preschoolers from five European birth-cohorts

Introduction

There has been little focus on sleep and its relation to behavior and cognition in preschool-aged children. We aimed to investigate the association between sleep duration in early preschoolers (» 3.5 years of age) and later behavioral and cognitive outcomes (» 5 years of age) in European children.

Methods

We used harmonized data from five cohorts from the EU Child Cohort Network, established by the LifeCycle Project (n=16.444 children): ALSPAC and SWS from UK, EDEN and ELFE from France and INMA from Spain. Within all cohorts, total sleep duration per day and behavioral and cognitive information were reported by parents. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and treated as percentile scores. Verbal and non-verbal intelligence were assessed by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence or with the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities depending on the cohort and treated as standardized scores. All scores were cohort specific. Associations between sleep duration during early preschool age and later behavior and/or cognition were estimated using linear regression and pooled with two-stage individual participant data meta-analysis adjusted for child, maternal and household information. Analyses were done in DataSHIELD.

Results

Global mean sleep duration was 11h54 ± 1h00 per day at mean age 3.5 years but differed by country, with children from France showing longer sleep duration than children from the UK or Spain. In multivariate meta-analysis, 1 hour of additional sleep duration per day at mean age 3.5 years was associated with reduced internalizing and externalizing behavior percentile scores at mean age 5.1 years (internalizing behavior: badjusted= -1.05, 95%-CI [-1.93, -0.18], I2: 30.3%; externalizing behavior: badjusted= -2.12, 95%-CI [-2.78, -1.47], I2: 0.0%). No association was observed between sleep duration and subsequent verbal or non-verbal intelligence

Conclusion

Longer sleep duration in early preschool age (» 3.5 years of age) was associated with subsequent lower internalizing and externalizing behavior scores (» 5 years of age), but not with verbal or non-verbal intelligence. Adequate sleep duration at an early age is important for children’s later mental health.

Support (If Any)

KG was granted a LifeCycle fellowship.