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

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Vasiliki Leventakou
  • Theano Roumeliotaki
  • David Martinez
  • Henrique Barros
  • Anne Lise Brantsaeter
  • Maribel Casas
  • Marie Aline Charles
  • Sylvaine Cordier
  • Merete Eggesbø
  • Manon Van Eijsden
  • Francesco Forastiere
  • Ulrike Gehring
  • Eva Govarts
  • Thorhallur I. Halldórsson
  • Wojciech Hanke
  • Margaretha Haugen
  • Denise H.M. Heppe
  • Barbara Heude
  • Hazel M. Inskip
  • Vincent W.V. Jaddoe
  • Maria Jansen
  • Cecily Kelleher
  • Helle Margrete Meltzer
  • Franco Merletti
  • Carolina Moltó-Puigmartí
  • Monique Mommers
  • Mario Murcia
  • Andreia Oliveira
  • Fabienne Pele
  • Kinga Polanska
  • Daniela Porta
  • Lorenzo Richiardi
  • Siân M. Robinson
  • Hein Stigum
  • Marin Strøm
  • Jordi Sunyer
  • Carel Thijs
  • Karien Viljoen
  • Tanja G.M. Vrijkotte
  • Alet H. Wijga
  • Manolis Kogevinas
  • Martine Vrijheid
  • Leda Chatzi

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
Book seriesAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume99
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)506-516
Number of pages11
ISSN0002-9165
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

ID: 307083696