GREFALDIA, Camille E.

2016-90854

Maternal plasma n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy and features of fetal health: Fetal
growth velocity, birth weight and duration of pregnancy

The objective of the article is to discuss the association between maternal plasma n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFAs) and fetal health by determining fetal growth velocity, birth weight and duration of pregnancy. The study
was conducted with 6974 pregnant women and their infants. They measured the maternal plasma n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio
and n-3 and n-6 PUFA percentage and compared the values with the measured weight, length and head circumference,
birth weight of the infants and also the duration of pregnancy of the women. To summarize the result, it shows that a
higher maternal mid-pregnancy n-3:n:6 PUFA ratio was associated with a higher growth velocity of the fetal weight,
length and head. There was also positive correlation between n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio and birth weight and duration of
pregnancy. The results provide evidence of the study’s hypothesis that a higher n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio is important for
fetal health.

Complications in fetal growth, low birth weight and preterm birth are features of fetal health and the leading causes of
infant death and long-term metabolic and neurological disabilities. The article states that a clearer understanding of the
factors underlying preterm or small-for gestational age (SGA) births would be helpful in improving the health of fetus
and to reduce death, morbidity and also to reduce health care costs. The quality of dietary intakes is associated with
the course and outcomes of pregnancy. And because humans do not have the capacity to produce PUFAs in their
body, we are only dependent on the dietary intakes that come from external sources. Because PUFAs have many
implications for biological features such as energy storage, oxygen transport, conformation of cell membranes and
regulation of cell proliferation and inflammation, then they are considered a reliable markers and determinants of
preterm and SGA births.

As mentioned in the study above that a study was conducted in order to determine the relationship between PUFAs
ratio and fetal growth, the result was that a higher PUFA ratio Is correlated with a higher fetal growth velocity from mid
pregnancy onwards, shown by the slope of fetal weight, length and head circumference. To remove the possibility that
the fetal growth was due to the increase in fetal body length, the researchers repeated the analysis and removed total
body length at birth from the calculation and found that the result was consistent in that it shows that PUFA ratio and
fetal length are proportional to each other. However, results that associate PUFA ratio and length and head
circumference of infants were unclear. To summarize, in the extensive research studies of thousands such as this, it
has been found that a higher maternal PUFA ratio was associated with a better fetal health: higher fetal growth velocity,
higher birth weight and a longer duration of pregnancy. The PUFA increase after the second half of pregnancy was
attributed to the transfer of maternal blood to the fetus. The increase in PUFA will result in higher likelihood of an
increase in cell division.

However, the article has pointed out some flaws and unclear associations including the mechanism by which maternal
fatty acids can affect fetal growth. Therefore, further studies have to be conducted in order to address underlying
pathophysiological mechanisms and the long-term effect of PUFA intake on infant health.