Maternal erythrocyte omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and plasma lipid concentrations, are associated with habitual dietary fish consumption in early pregnancy

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between selected maternal erythrocyte omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and plasma lipids in early pregnancy and reported habitual fish consumption during the periconceptional period. Design and methods: This cohort study included 923 pregnant women who reported periconceptional dietary habits and provided a blood sample before 20 weeks of gestation. PUFA was determined by gas chromatography and plasma lipids by standard enzymatic methods. Differences in erythrocyte PUFA and plasma lipid concentrations were estimated using linear regression. Results: Mean erythrocyte eicosapentanoic acid and other PUFA content (%/total) were positively associated with frequency of self-reported fish consumption. Arachidonic acid was inversely related with frequent fish consumption (p trend < 0.001). Women who consumed fish > twice/week had lower plasma triglyceride (-11.5 mg/dl) and higher HDL-cholesterol (+2.8 mg/dl) concentrations than women consuming fish < once/week. Conclusions: These results support findings of inverse relation between fish consumption and preeclampsia risk. (c) 2006 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. All rights reserved.