Perinatal & Pediatric
Maternal early pregnancy blood heavy metal(loid)s and low fish consumption in relation to child Dyslipidemia at the age of 7 years Fengxiu Ouyang* Fengxiu Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Ouyang Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Objective: Dyslipidemia can lead to complex cardiometabolic diseases, and prenatal exposure to selected heavy metal(loid)s may increase risk of dyslipidemia in children. We sought to investigate the association between maternal heavy metal(loid)s exposure, fish consumption and children’s serum lipids at the age of 7 years.
Material and Methods: In 1393 mothers and their children from the Shanghai Birth Cohort, we measured maternal whole blood concentrations of 13 metal(loid)s including mercury (Hg), arsenic, cadmium, lead, magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, selenium, rubidium, and strontium in mothers at early pregnancy. The intake frequency of sea-fish and river-fish in the past three months (<1 time, 1-3 times, and >3 times per week) was asked using food frequency questionnaire at early pregnancy. Children’s fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterols, lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)], apolipoprotein E (Apo E), apolipoprotein A (Apo A), and apolipoprotein B (Apo B) were measured. Blood heavy metal(loid)s was examined both as continuous variables by natural logarithm transformation values and in tertiles (low, medium and high).
Results: The detection rate of maternal blood concentrations of these metals and metalloids ranged 98.3-100%. Early pregnancy blood Hg concentrations Log Hg (mg/L) were associated with higher risk of child fasting serum TC≥5.17 mmol/L, TG≥1.12 mmol/L, LDL≥3.36 mmol/L at the age of 7 years. Among mothers with sea-fish intake frequency 3 time/week (interaction test p=0.003). Similar results were observed in river-fish intake frequency (interaction test p=0.049 for the >3 time/week consumption group). Consistently, positive association of maternal Log Hg (mg/L) with child serum LDL, non-HDL, and Apo B were observed in sea-fish or river-fish intake frequency 3 time/week.
Conclusions: In this prospective birth cohort, despite relatively low maternal Hg exposure, maternal Hg during early pregnancy was positively associated with higher child fasting serum lipids at the age of 7 years, while higher sea-fish or river-fish consumption showed counteracting effect.