Abstract
The incidence of allergic problems has notably increased in recent decades, affecting approximately 20% of the population and becoming a public health issue. Some studies have suggested that asthma and atopy could result from an increased dietary intake of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a decreased intake of n-3 PUFA. During pregnancy, the fetus depends on the transplacental transfer of n-3 PUFA from maternal circulation, which implies that maternal lipid profile alterations might predispose to allergy onset during infancy and childhood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the circulating fatty acid profile in pregnant women with allergic problems as well as in fetal plasma at birth. Plasma samples from 73 allergic and 179 healthy pregnant women as well as cord venous plasma were collected at delivery in the NELA cohort (Murcia, Spain). Maternal allergy was diagnosed according to the symptoms and via a positive skin prick test. The fatty acid profile was determined by gas cromatography. The allergic mothers had a lower percentage of n-3 PUFA in the plasma compared to the healthy ones (Allergic: 4.06 ± 0.15 vs. Control: 4.66 ± 0.11, p = 0.002), especially in those with asthma or food allergies. This contributed to a significantly higher n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in women with allergies (Allergic: 9.45 ± 0.31 vs. Control: 8.28 ± 0.20, p = 0.002), mainly asthma and food allergies, which was indicative of a proinflammatory status. The same tendency was observed in women affected by atopic dermatitis (p = 0.094). In cord blood, despite the fact that there were no differences in the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio between the groups, the fetuses born from allergic mothers showed a tendency towards lower n-3 PUFA content compared to those born from healthy mothers (Allergic: 5.63 ± 0.19 vs. Control: 6.17 ± 0.21, p = 0.093). In conclusion, allergy led to a decreased n-3 PUFA and an increased n6-/n-3 ratio fatty acid profile in pregnant women at delivery, especially in those affected by asthma and food allergies. The same tendency was observed in cord plasma. A higher n-3 PUFA consumption could be desirable in women with allergic diseases in order to improve their lipid profile and proinflammatory status and their offspring’s health.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, A.G. and E.L.; methodology, A.G., A.M.E.-M., M.S.-M., V.O. and M.D.M.-R.; formal analysis, A.G. and E.L.; investigation, A.G., A.M.E.-M. and M.S.-M.; resources, L.G.-M. and E.L.; writing—original draft preparation, A.G. and E.L.; writing—review and editing, A.G., L.G.-M. and E.L.; supervision, E.L.; project administration, L.G.-M.; funding acquisition, L.G.-M. and E.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and Fondos FEDER (grant numbers CP14/00046, PIE15/00051, PI16/00422, PI19/00863 and ARADyAL network RD160006). Maternal and Child Health and Development Research Network (RED SAMID III, RD 16/0022/0009) and the Research Excellence Group CHRONOHEALTH (Séneca Foundation, 19899/GERM/15, Murcia). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Clinical Hospital (protocol code 09/14, 29 September 2014) in accordance with the guidelines of The Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets generated or analyzed in this study are not publicly available due to ethical reasons. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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