3
Revista Matronas

Revista Matronas

AGOSTO 2016 N° 2 Volumen 4

Dha intake in pregnant women and factors associated to dha use

Section: Originales

Authors

1 Esther Conde Puertas, 2 Inmaculada Hernández Herrerías, 3 Irina Alonso Escalante     

Position

1 Matrona. Hospital Huércal-Overa (Almería). Servicio Andaluz de Salud. Máster en Investigación y Avances en Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública. Máster en Investigación en nutrición y dietética. 2 Matrona. Complejo Hospitalario Reina Sofía. Hospital materno-infantil (Córdoba). 3 Matrona. Hospital Rotunda. Dublín (Irlanda).

Contact email: esthercpu@gmail.com

Abstract

Introduction: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake is considered essential during the perinatal period because of its multiple benefits for mother and infant health.
Purpose: we aimed at assessing maternal DHA intake during the third trimester in pregnant women and evaluating factors related to DHA use.
Methods: a nutritional crossover study was carried out to assess DHA intake. A sample consisting of 56 pregnant women in the catching area for the regional hospital in Huércal-Overa,  Almería, Spain was selected. A questionnaire on food intake frequency, including the main source for DHA (i.e., fish and seafood) was administered.
Results: mean DHA intake was 370.76 (SD: 182.08) mg/day (20.61-754.51 mg/day). Although most women (91.1%) reported a common fish intake with at least 3-4 serving per week, a large number of them took less than the recommended daily dose (200 mg/day). Among the reasons for such a low intake, 37.5% of women took less than a weekly serving of oily fish, the main DHA source. A positive association between the variables “no work outside the home” (p= 0.018) or “awareness of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, such as DHA, present in fish” (p= 0.032) and DHA intake was found. About 67.9 % of women were not aware of the importance of DHA intake during pregnancy.
Conclusions: a large number of women (19.6%) are at risk of an inadequate DHA intake. Importantly, there is a lack of education of such women on the importance of an adequate fish intake as a source for DHA during pregnancy. This fact reflects the need for an appropriate health education on nutrition made available by health workers.

Keywords:

breast feeding; docosahexaenoic acid; fish; omega-3 fatty acids; pregnancy

Versión en Español

Título:

Ingesta de DHA en mujeres gestantes y factores asociados a su consumo

Artículo completo no disponible en este idioma / Full article is not available in this language

Bibliography

  1. Gil Campos M, Dalmau J. Comité de Nutrición de la Sociedad Española de Pediatría. Importancia del Ácido Docosahexaenoico (DHA): Funciones y recomendaciones para su ingesta en la infancia. Anales de Pediatría 2010; 73(3):142e1-142e8.
  2. Bradbury J. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): an ancient nutrient for the modern human brain. Nutrients 2011; 3(5):529-54.
  3. Campoy C, Escolano-Margarit MV, Anjos T, Szajewska H, Uauy R. Omega 3 fatty acids on child growth, visual acuity and neurodevelopment. British Journal of Nutrition 2009; 107:S85-S106.
  4. Walczewska A, Stepien T, Bewicz-Binkowska D, Zgorzynska E. The role of docosahexaenoic acid in neuronal function. Post?py Higieny i Medycyny Do?wiadczalnej 2011; 65:314-27.
  5. FAO. Fats and fatty acids in human nutrition. Report of an expert consultation. Food and Nutrition Paper 2010. [cited july 2016]. Available from: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/FFA_human_nutrition/en/
  6. Sontrop J, Avison WR, Evers SE, Speechley SN, Campbella K. Depressive symptoms during pregnancy in relation to fish consumption and intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22(4):389-99.
  7. Lewin GA, Schachter HM, Yuen D, Merchant P, Mamaladze V, Tsertsvadze A. Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on child and maternal health. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 2005; 118:1-15.
  8. Imhoff-Kunsh B, Briggs V, Goldenberg T, Ramakrishnan U. Effect of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake during pregnancy on maternal, infant and child outcomes: a systematic review. Paediatr and Perinatal Epidemiology 2012; 26(1):91-107.
  9. Cetin I, Koletzko B. Long-chain v-3 fatty acid supply in pregnancy and lactation. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care 2008; 11(3):297-302.
  10. Carlson S.E. Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in pregnancy and lactation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009; 89(2):678S-84S.
  11. Lauritzen L, Carlson SE. Maternal fatty acid status during pregnancy and lactation and relation to newborn and infant status. Maternal & Child Nutrition 2011; 7:41-58.
  12. Innis SM, Friesen RW. Essential n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women and early visual acuity maturation in term infants. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008; 87(3):548-57.
  13. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and Committee on Toxicity (COT). Advice on fish consumption: benefits and risks. TSO: London; 2004.
  14. European Food Safety Authority. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats, including saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol. EFSA Journal 2010; 8(3):1461.
  15. Koletzko B, Cetin I, Brenna JT. Perinatal Lipid Intake Working Group. Dietary fat intake for pregnant and lactating women. Consensus Statement. British Journal of Nutrition 2007; 98(5):873-7.
  16. Oken E, Radesky JS, Wright RO, Bellinger DC, Amarasiriwardena CJ, Kleinman KP, et al. Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury levels, and child cognition at age 3 years in a US cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology 2008; 167(10):1171-81.
  17. Nochera CL, Goossen LH, Brutus AR, Cristales M, Eastman B. Consumption of DHA+EPA by low-income women during pregnancy and lactation. Nutrition in Clinical Practice 2011; 26(4):445-50.
  18. Ervin RB, Wright JD, Wang CY, Kennedy-Stephenson J. Dietary intake of fats and fatty acids for the United States population: 1999-2000. Advance Data 2004; 8(348):1-6.
  19. Franke C, Verwied-Jorky S, Campoy C, Trak-Fellermeir M, Decsi T, Dolz, et al. Dietary intake of natural sources of docosahexaenoic acid and folate in pregnant women of three European cohorts. Annuals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2008; 53(3-4):167-74.
  20. Martín-Moreno JM, Boyle P, Gorgojo L, Maisonneuve P, Fernández-Rodríguez JC, Salvini S, Willet WC. Development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire in Spain. International Journal of Epidemiology 1993; 22(3):512-19.
  21. Montellano-Delgado MA, Gómez-Aracena J, García-Mulero L, Llopis-González J, Medina-Chamorro C, Sánchez-González C. Manual de fotografías para encuestas alimentarias. 2ª ed. Granada: Editorial Universidad de Granada. Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos; 2011.
  22. Borràs Sánchez J, Hernández-Duran C. Consell Allimentari de la Mediterranea. Guía per l´alimentació equilibrada. Cataluña: Visual Plats; 2009.
  23. Moreiras O, Carbajal A, Cabrera L, Cuadrado C. Tabla de composición de alimentos. 9ª ed. Madrid: Pirámide; 2011.
  24. Mataix J. Tabla de composición de alimentos. 5ª ed. Granada: Universidad de Granada; 2009.
  25. European Food Safety Authority. Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). EFSA Journal 2012; 10(7):815.
  26. Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria (SECN) (2004). Guía de la Alimentación saludable. SECN. [cited july 2016]. Available fron: http://www.nutricioncomunitaria.org/BDProtegidos/guia_alimentacion%20SENC_I_1155197988036.pdf
  27. Fundación Española de la Nutrición (FEN). Valoración nutricional de la dieta española de acuerdo al panel de consumo alimentario. 2012. [citado 20 julio 2016]. Disponible en: http://www.fen.org.es/imgPublicaciones/30092012125258.pdf
  28. Ortega García JA, Gil Vázquez JM, Vélez Palacios D, López Soler JA, Sánchez-Solís de Querol M. Grupo de Investigación HERMES: evaluación de la exposición dietética a metilmercurio en poblaciones vulnerables de la Región de Murcia (España). Anales de Pediatría 2007; 66(4):426-8.
  29. Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN). Recomendaciones de consumo de pescado para poblaciones sensibles debido a la presencia de mercurio. [citado 20 julio 2016]. Disponible en: http://aesan.msssi.gob.es/AESAN/docs/docs/rincon_consumidor/Recomendaciones_mercurio.pdf
  30. Olsen SF, Hansen HS, Sandström B, Jensen B. Erythrocyte levels compared with reported dietary intake of marine n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women. British Journal of Nutrition 1995; 73(3):387-95.
  31. Innis SM, Elias SL. Intakes of essential n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids among pregnant Canadian women. Americal Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003; 77(2):473-78.
  32. Martín-Moreno JM, Gorgojo L. Valoración de la ingesta dietética a nivel poblacional mediante cuestionarios individuales: sombras y luces metodológicas. Revista Española de Salud Pública
  33. Overby NC, Serra-Majem L, Andersen LF. Dietary assessment methods on n-3 fatty acid intake: a systematic review. British Journal of Nutrition 2009; 102:S56-S63.
  34. Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria (AESAN). Recomendaciones de consumo de pescado debido a la presencia de mercurio. [citado 20 julio 2016]. Disponible en: http://www.aesan.msc.es/AESAN/docs/docs/come_seguro_y_saludable/guia_alimentacion2.pdf