Fish consumption during pregnancy did not increase risk for asthma in children

Key takeaways:

• High maternal fish consumption did not increase risk for asthma in children.
• Researchers observed a link between cord blood docosahexaenoic acid and asthma prevalence.

High fish consumption during pregnancy did not increase the risk for asthma in children by age 7 years, according to results of the Seychelles Child Development Study Nutrition Cohort 2.

However, researchers did observe an association between high cord blood docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and increased asthma prevalence.

Previous ‘conflicting results’

Previous research examining the potential link between prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acid status and the risk for childhood asthma have shown conflicting results, according to study background.

For this reason, Cealan O. Henry, MD, PhD, a researcher at Ulster University at the time of the study and currently a postdoctoral research associate at University of Exeter, and colleagues sought to assess the association between maternal fish intake and maternal or cord prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk for asthma among children of a high fish-eating population.

Researchers examined maternal fish intake during pregnancy and children’s fish intake at age 7 years via the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. They quantified serum concentrations of prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acids in maternal blood collected at 28 weeks’ gestation in 1,448 respondents and in cord blood of 1,088 respondents.

Asthma risk

According to study results, asthma was diagnosed in 10.5% (n = 97) of children.

Results of regression analysis also showed no association between the odds for childhood asthma and maternal fish intake or maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status.

However, researchers observed an association between cord blood DHA concentrations and increased prevalence for asthma when they compared the highest quartile (≥ 0.123 mg/mL) with the lowest quartile (< 0.061 mg/mL).

‘Growing body of evidence’

“Our data support the growing body of evidence that consuming fish, even in high amounts, during pregnancy is not associated with asthma in children aged 7 years of age,” the researchers wrote.

Conversely, the unexpected finding of the link between cord blood DHA and asthma prevalence warrants further investigation, they continued.

“Although this was unexpected, similar associations have been observed in a Swedish birth-cohort study, in which higher concentrations of DHA in cord blood were identified in children with respiratory allergy, and total n-3 PUFAs (consisting mostly of DHA) were associated with increased respiratory allergy development in children aged 13 years,” the researchers wrote.