Breast milk n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and blood pressure: an individual participant meta-analysis

Lenie van Rossem (1) , Henriette Smit (1) , Martine Armand (2) , Jonathan y Bernard (3) , Hans Bisgaard (4) , Klaus Bønnelykke (4) , Signe Bruun (5) , Barbara Heude (6, 3) , Steffen Husby (5) , Henriette Kyhl (5) , Kim Michaelsen (4) , Ken Stark (7) , Carel Thijs (8) , Rebecca Vinding (4) , Alet Wijga (9) , Lotte Lauritzen (4)

1 Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University [Utrecht]
2 CRMBM - Centre de résonance magnétique biologique et médicale
3 CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A 1125) - Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics | Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistiques
4 UCPH - University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet
5 OUH - Odense University Hospital
6 Epidémiologie cardiovasculaire et métabolique
7 University of Waterloo [Waterloo]
8 Maastricht University [Maastricht]
9 RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment [Bilthoven]

Purpose It is controversial whether a higher intake of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC PUFA) through breastfeeding is associated or not to a lower blood pressure (BP) during childhood. We aimed to clarify this point by undertaking a meta-analysis involving the data from seven European birth cohorts. Methods We searched https ://www.birth cohor t.net for studies that had collected breast milk samples, and had at least one BP measurement in childhood. Principal investigators were contacted, and all agreed to share data. One additional study was identified by contacts with the principal investigators. For each cohort, we analyzed the association of breast milk n-3 LC PUFAs with systolic and diastolic BP with linear mixed effects models or linear regression, and pooled the estimates with a random effects model. We also investigated age-specific and sex-specific associations. Results A total of 2188 participants from 7 cohorts were included. Overall, no associations between breast milk n-3 LC PUFAs and BP were observed. In the pooled analysis, each 0.1 wt% increment in breast milk docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was associated with a 1.19 (95% CI − 3.31, 0.94) mmHg lower systolic BP. Associations were similar for boys and girls and at different ages. Conclusion In this individual participant meta-analysis, we found no evidence for an association between breast milk n-3 LC PUFAs and BP.

Mots clés: Breastfeeding; Blood pressure; Fatty acids; Children

Domaines: Alimentation et Nutrition

Lenie van Rossem, Henriette Smit, Martine Armand, Jonathan y Bernard, Hans Bisgaard, et al.. Breast milk n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and blood pressure: an individual participant meta-analysis. European Journal of Nutrition, 2021, 60, ⟨10.1007/s00394-020-02310-4⟩. ⟨hal-02885147⟩