Maternal Fish Intake During Pregnancy, Blood Mercury Levels, and Child Cognition at Age 3 Years in a US Cohort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Amarasiriwardena CJ ; Bellinger DC ; Gillman MW ; Hu H ; Kleinman KP ; Oken E ; Radesky JS ; Wright RO
• Description:
  The balance of contaminant risk and nutritional benefit from maternal prenatal fish consumption for child cognitive development is not known. Using data from a prospective cohort study of 341 mother-child pairs, authors studied associations of maternal 2nd trimester fish intake and erythrocyte mercury levels with child age 3 year scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and Wide-Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA). Mean maternal total fish intake was 1.5 (SD 1.4) servings/month, and 40 (12%) of mothers consumed > 2 weekly fish servings. Mean (SD) maternal mercury was 3.8 (3.8) ng/g. After adjustment using multivariable linear regression, higher fish intake was associated with better child cognitive test performance, and higher mercury levels with poorer test scores. Associations strengthened with inclusion of both fish and mercury: effect estimates (95% CI) for fish intake > 2 servings/week vs. never were 2.2 (-2.6, 7.0) for PPVT and 6.4 (2.0, 10.8) for WRAVMA; and for mercury in the top decile, -4.5 (-8.5, -0.4) for PPVT and -4.6 (-8.3, -0.9) for WRAVMA. Fish consumption <= 2 weekly servings was not associated with a benefit. Dietary recommendations for pregnant women should incorporate the nutritional benefits as well as the risks of fish intake. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Cohort Studies Environmental Exposure Mercury Nervous System Occupational Health Pregnancy Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Child Development Children Cognitive Function Cohort Studies Contaminated Food Erythrocytes Exposure Levels Fatty Acids Fishes Humans Mercury Compounds Omega-3 Prenatal Exposure Risk Factors Visual Motor Performance

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• ISSN:
  0002-9262
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  167
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058725
• Citation:
  Am J Epidemiol 2008 May; 167(10):1171-1181
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Emily Oken, Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, 133 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
• Email:
  emily_oken@harvardpilgrim.org
• CAS Registry Number:
  Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b555e31b9f8c630fb33b89abb7086387a8776838b8de7538c715e094a43a5ab80f34aca67a99f50ef2bb20809fb3d7c44d3f26b4c64518e86a1a6095617fe70
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223126/cdc_223126_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 155.08 KB ]