Publications (43) View all
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Article: The effect of maternal fish oil supplementation during the last trimester of pregnancy on blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability in the 19-year-old offspring.
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ABSTRACT: Studies in experimental animals and human subjects have suggested that intake of n-3 fatty acids in early life can affect cardiovascular risk factors in adult life. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of fish oil (FO) supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) in the 19-year-old offspring. The study was based on follow-up of a randomised, controlled trial from 1990, in which 533 pregnant women were randomised to FO, olive oil (OO) or no oil (NO) during the last trimester of pregnancy. The offspring was invited to a physical examination including BP, HR and HRV measurements. A subgroup consisting of the offspring of mothers with a low baseline fish intake also had 24 h HRV determined. The OO group was used as reference and multiple linear regression modelling was used to compare the FO and OO groups. A total of 180 of the offspring from the FO and OO groups agreed to participate in the study (45 %). The adjusted difference between the FO and OO groups was 2 (95 % CI - 1, 4) mmHg in systolic and 1 (95 % CI 0, 3) mmHg in diastolic BP. The difference in HR was 1 (95 % CI - 2, 4). Also, HRV indices did not differ significantly between groups. Hence, FO supplementation during late pregnancy was not associated with offspring BP, HR and HRV during adolescence.The British journal of nutrition 02/2012; 108(8):1475-83. · 3.45 Impact Factor -
Article: Spontaneous Abortion and a Diet Drug Containing Caffeine and Ephedrine: A Study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.
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ABSTRACT: Medications may be consumed periconceptionally before a woman knows she is pregnant. In this study, the authors evaluate the association of a prescription diet drug (Letigen) containing ephedrine (20 mg) and caffeine (200 mg) with spontaneous abortion (SAB) in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Women were recruited during their first prenatal visit from 1996-2002. Pre-conception and early pregnancy medication use was reported on the enrollment form, and pregnancy outcome was determined by linking the mother's Civil Registration Number to the Medical Birth Registry and the National Hospital Discharge Register. Of 97,903 eligible pregnancies, 4,443 ended in SAB between 5 and 20 completed gestational weeks, inclusive. Letigen use was reported for 565 pregnancies. Cox regression models accounting for left truncation were fit to estimate the effect of pre-conception and early pregnancy Letigen use on SAB. The estimated maternal age-adjusted hazard ratio for SAB was 1.1 (95% confidence interval 0.8-1.6) for any periconceptional Letigen use compared to no periconceptional use. Although Letigen has high levels of caffeine (the recommended 3 pills/day are approximately equivalent to caffeine from 6 cups of coffee), periconceptional use does not appear to be associated with an appreciably increased hazard of clinically recognized SAB.PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(11):e50372. · 4.09 Impact Factor -
Article: Long-term health outcomes in children born to mothers with diabetes: a population-based cohort study.
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ABSTRACT: To examine whether prenatal exposure to parental type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes is associated with an increased risk of malignant neoplasm or diseases of the circulatory system in the offspring. We conducted a population-based cohort study of 1,781,576 singletons born in Denmark from 1977 to 2008. Children were followed for up to 30 years from the day of birth until the onset of the outcomes under study, death, emigration, or December 31, 2009, whichever came first. We used Cox proportional hazards model to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the outcomes under study while adjusting for potential confounders. An increased risk of malignant neoplasm was found in children prenatally exposed to maternal type 2 diabetes (HR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.5-3.2). An increased risk of diseases of the circulatory system was found in children exposed to maternal type 1 diabetes (HR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.6-3.0), type 2 diabetes (HR = 1.4, 95%CI: 1.1-1.7), and gestational diabetes (HR = 1.3, 95%CI: 1.1-1.6), but results were attenuated after excluding children with congenital malformations. An increased risk of diseases of the circulatory system was also found in children exposed to paternal type 2 diabetes (HR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-2.2) and the elevated risk remained after excluding children with congenital malformations. This study suggests that susceptibility to malignant neoplasm is modified partly by fetal programming. Diseases of the circulatory system may be modified by genetic factors, other time-stable family factors, or fetal programming.PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(5):e36727. · 4.09 Impact Factor -
Article: Intake of fish oil during pregnancy and adiposity in 19-y-old offspring: follow-up on a randomized controlled trial.
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ABSTRACT: It is well established that obesity tends to track from early childhood into adult life. Studies in experimental animals have suggested that changes in the peri- and early postnatal intake of n-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturated acids can affect the development of obesity in adult life. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of daily supplementation with 2.7 g long-chain n-3 fatty acids during the third trimester of pregnancy on adiposity in 19-y-old offspring. The study was based on follow-up of a randomized controlled trial from 1990, in which 533 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive fish oil, olive oil, or no oil. At ≈19 y of age, the offspring of subjects from the randomized controlled trial were invited to undergo a physical examination, including anthropometric measurements and fasting blood sampling. The blood sample was analyzed for insulin, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, leptin, adiponectin, insulin-like growth factor I, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Multiple linear regression modeling, adjusted for sex, smoking, and parental overweight, was used to estimate the effect of fish oil relative to that of olive oil on BMI (in kg/m(2)), waist circumference, and biochemical measures. A total of 243 of the offspring were followed up. We found no difference between the fish-oil and olive oil groups in BMI (0.13; -0.92, 1.17) or waist circumference (0.7 cm; -2.1, 3.4 cm). Overall, results of the biochemical analyses supported the finding of no difference between the groups. We detected no effect of fish-oil supplementation during pregnancy on offspring adiposity in adolescence.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 09/2011; 94(3):701-8. · 6.67 Impact Factor -
Article: Infertility, infertility treatment and behavioural problems in the offspring.
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ABSTRACT: Behavioural patterns in children of infertile couples may be influenced by both the underlying causes of infertility and stress in the couples. Treatment procedures, such as culture media and manipulation of gametes and embryos, may also result in developmental problems. We examined behavioural problems in children as a function of infertility and infertility treatment, using data from three population-based birth cohorts in Denmark (Aalborg-Odense Birth Cohort, Aarhus Birth Cohort and Danish National Birth Cohort). Information on time to pregnancy and infertility treatment was collected during pregnancy. Children aged between 7 and 21 years were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The SDQ was completed by mothers in all cohorts and, in addition, by teachers in the Aarhus cohort and by children themselves in the Aalborg-Odense cohort. Children born after a time to pregnancy of >12 months and no infertility treatment had a behavioural pattern similar to children of fertile parents. Teachers reported a higher total difficulties score for children born after infertility treatment, but no significant differences were seen on any subscales of the teachers' report, and neither the mothers nor the children reported any differences on the total difficulties score and the prosocial behaviour score. Our results are thus overall reassuring regarding behavioural problems in children born to infertile couples, regardless of infertility treatment.Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 09/2011; 25(5):466-77. · 2.31 Impact Factor
