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Comparative Study
. 2012 Sep;51(6):665-75.
doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0245-9. Epub 2011 Sep 28.

A maternal erythrocyte DHA content of approximately 6 g% is the DHA status at which intrauterine DHA biomagnifications turns into bioattenuation and postnatal infant DHA equilibrium is reached

Martine F Luxwolda  1 , Remko S Kuipers, Wicklif S Sango, Gideon Kwesigabo, D A Janneke Dijck-Brouwer, Frits A J Muskiet
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A maternal erythrocyte DHA content of approximately 6 g% is the DHA status at which intrauterine DHA biomagnifications turns into bioattenuation and postnatal infant DHA equilibrium is reached

Martine F Luxwolda et al. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Higher long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCP) in infant compared with maternal lipids at delivery is named biomagnification. The decline of infant and maternal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status during lactation in Western countries suggests maternal depletion. We investigated whether biomagnification persists at lifelong high fish intakes and whether the latter prevents a postpartum decline of infant and/or maternal DHA status.

Methods: We studied 3 Tanzanian tribes with low (Maasai: 0/week), intermediate (Pare: 2-3/week), and high (Sengerema: 4-5/week) fish intakes. DHA and arachidonic acid (AA) were determined in maternal (m) and infant (i) erythrocytes (RBC) during pregnancy (1st trimester n = 14, 2nd = 103, 3rd = 88), and in mother-infant pairs at delivery (n = 63) and at 3 months postpartum (n = 104).

Results: At delivery, infants of all tribes had similar iRBC-AA which was higher than, and unrelated to, mRBC-AA. Transplacental DHA biomagnification occurred up to 5.6 g% mRBC-DHA; higher mRBC-DHA was associated with "bioattenuation" (i.e., iRBC-DHA < mRBC-DHA). Compared to delivery, mRBC-AA after 3 months was higher, while iRBC-AA was lower. mRBC-DHA after 3 months was lower, while iRBC-DHA was lower (low fish intake), equal (intermediate fish intake), and higher (high fish intake) compared to delivery. We estimated that postpartum iRBC-DHA equilibrium is reached at 5.9 g%, which corresponds to a mRBC-DHA of 6.1 g% throughout pregnancy.

Conclusion: Uniform high iRBC-AA at delivery might indicate the importance of intrauterine infant AA status. Biomagnification reflects low maternal DHA status, and bioattenuation may prevent intrauterine competition of DHA with AA. A mRBC-DHA of about 6 g% during pregnancy predicts maternal-fetal equilibrium at delivery, postnatal iRBC-DHA equilibrium, but is unable to prevent a postnatal mRBC-DHA decline.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Apparent courses of red blood cell (RBC) arachidonic acid (AA, panel A) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, panel B) from the first trimester of pregnancy up to 3 months postpartum for Maasai (low fish), Pare (intermediate fish), and Sengerema (high fish) women and infants. Data represent means ± 2SEM in g/100 g (g%) fatty acids. They are derived from different maternal subgroups at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester and different mother–infant pairs at delivery and 3 months postpartum. Maternal and infant data are represented by closed and open symbols, respectively. PP, postpartum + significantly (sign) different from Maasai, pilcrow sign different from Pare, yen sign different from Sengerema, closed circle sign different from delivery, infinity sign different from mother
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Relationships between maternal and infant red blood cell (RBC) contents of AA (panel A) and DHA (panel B) at delivery for Maasai (low fish) (n = 6), Pare (intermediate fish) (n = 24), and the Sengerema (high fish) (n = 33) women and infants. Dotted lines indicate y = x for “equal AA or DHA sharing.” Maternal versus infant RBC-AA at delivery is insignificant. At delivery, maternal RBC-DHA equals infant RBC-DHA at 5.6 g%
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Relationship between the mean red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at delivery and at 3 months postpartum for the Maasai, Pare, and Sengerema infants, respectively. Data represent means ± 2SEM in g/100 g (g%) fatty acids. Infant RBC-DHA at delivery equals infant RBC-DHA at 3 months postpartum at 5.9 g%
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