Long-term effects of DHA and/or 5-MTHF supplementation in pregnant women on their offspring´s fatty-acid status, neurodevelopment and behavior
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Universidad de Granada
Departamento
Universidad de Granada. Departamento de PediatríaMateria
Embarazadas Aspectos nutricionales Suplementos nutricionales Probióticos Acidos grasos Polimorfismo genético Niños Desarrollo cognitivo Nutrición Cerebro
Materia UDC
612.39 241009
Date
2017Fecha lectura
2017-07-05Referencia bibliográfica
Martínez-Zaldivar Moreno, C. Long-term effects of DHA and/or 5-MTHF supplementation in pregnant women on their offspring´s fatty-acid status, neurodevelopment and behavior. Granada: Universidad de Granada, 2017. [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/47540]
Sponsorship
Tesis Univ. Granada. Programa Oficial de Doctorado en: Condicionantes Genéticos, Nutricionales y Ambientales del Crecimiento y Desarrollo; Comisión Europea el proyecto NUTRIMENTHE “Effect of Diet on the Mental Performance of Children” (FP7-KBBE-2007-2-2-01, GA Nº: 212652) del 7º Programa Marco (2008-2013); Proyectos de investigación NUHEAL “Nutraceutical for healthy life” (QLK1-CT-1999-00888) del 5º Programa marco de la Unión Europea (1999- 2003) y EARNEST “Early programming and long term consequences” (FOOD-CT-2005- 007036) del 6º Programa Marco de la Unión Europea.Abstract
The maternal intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their metabolism will
determine the bioavailability of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) during
the first months of life (1). However, the importance of the impact of altered maternal PUFA
status on the scheduling and imprinting of PUFA metabolism in the foetus is unknown, and
the long-term consequences on the functionality of the metabolic pathways involved in PUFA
elongation and desaturation of the PUFAs that allow the endogenous synthesis of LC-PUFAs.
The role of the genetic polymorphisms of fatty acid desaturases (FADS) in modulating the
conversion of essential fatty acid (EFA) precursors of the n-3 and n-6 series into their
consequent derivatives has been highlighted in the last 10 years (2). This may explain the
heterogeneity of responses found in various studies on the effect of prenatal PUFA
supplementation on growth and neurodevelopment (3-6). Genetic polymorphisms of FADS1,
FADS2 and FADS3 (which encode the synthesis of δ5 and δ6 desaturases) have been
identified as important determinants of plasma circulating LC-PUFAs (7-10), although due to
the significant genetic variation in different populations, there is a lack of evidence of the
effects of FADS polymorphisms on the metabolism of LC-PUFAs (11, 12).
There has been increasing interest in the study of the fatty acid (FA) concentrations in the
cells of the cheek mucosa in recent years, since it is considered that it could be a plausible
alternative for following the nutritional status of the LC -PUFAs in early stages of life, thus
avoiding blood extraction with the problems that this entails in young children. Currently,
there is no information about a possible association between the genetic polymorphisms of
FADS1 and FADS2 and the concentrations of these FAs in cheek cells.
Moreover, in Europe, saturated FAs and the n-6 series have replaced the intake of n-3 FAs, in
a different way in each country. Although the n-6 are also essential for health during growth
and development, an appropriate balance is required with respect to n-3 PUFAs. It has been
found that relative deficiencies of n-3 PUFAs are associated with a wide range of pathologies
in relation to physical and mental health, which pose increasing problems in developed
countries. Nutrition plays an important role in the structural and functional growth of the human brain,
from conception and during childhood and adolescence to adulthood. There is scientific
evidence that early nutrition may influence cognitive development and subsequent behaviour.
It is known that an optimal contribution of macro and micronutrients is important for the
synthesis of neurotransmitters (and their receptors and transporters), for the renewal and
maintenance of the cytoskeleton of axons and myelin sheaths, for the growth of synaptic
spines and, therefore, for neuronal plasticity and neuronal survival.