Effects of prenatal diet and mercury exposure on child behavior and development

描述（由申请人提供）：鱼类和其他海产品可能含有有益的营养素以及有害的污染物。产前时期是一个特别容易受到有机汞的不利影响以及营养素（如延长的n-3脂肪酸和硒）的有益影响的时期。然而，很少有人知道母亲在怀孕期间摄入鱼类对儿童发育的风险和利益的平衡。以前关于鱼类摄入量和儿童发育的少数研究受到缺乏详细营养措施，随访时间短和结果措施少的限制。在这项拟议的研究中，我们将利用孕妇鱼类摄入量以及汞和营养素暴露的生物标志物的信息，研究孕妇怀孕期间饮食对儿童发育的风险和益处的综合影响。该项目建立在已建立的基础设施项目Viva，一个正在进行的出生前美国队列研究与存储的孕产妇血液样本，验证产前饮食评估，以及详细的信息，包括家庭环境和其他重要的儿童发育的协变量。研究的目的是评估怀孕期间收集的母亲血液中汞和n-3脂肪酸水平与7岁儿童认知和行为的关系。此外，我们将研究母亲产前鱼摄入量对儿童认知和行为的影响，有和没有额外的调整汞和n-3脂肪酸。我们将探讨营养素作为产前汞暴露影响的修饰剂的作用，通过确定汞是否在具有较低水平的延长n-3脂肪酸或硒的参与者中具有更强的不利影响。这笔赠款的资金将用于支持广泛的认知和行为评估，这些评估将添加到已经资助的7岁队列随访中，以及暴露生物标志物和数据分析的测定。与启动一个新的队列相比，该项目既节省成本又节省时间，并且与以前的研究相比具有许多优势。该研究团队带来了国际公认的专业知识，建立，维护和分析来自纵向队列的数据，执行和解释营养和有毒物质暴露的测定，以及解释认知测试结果。这项拟议的研究将提供重要信息，帮助母亲及其健康顾问在怀孕期间做出最佳饮食决定，以优化儿童发育。拟议的研究将提供及时和高质量的数据，为正在进行的国家政策讨论提供信息，讨论怀孕期间摄入鱼类的营养益处和污染物风险，以及如何平衡这些相互竞争的影响。获得正确的信息至关重要，因为孕妇会根据有关饮食鱼类摄入安全的建议采取行动。正确的信息可以提高儿童的发展潜力，但错误的信息可能会适得其反。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Fish and other seafood may contain beneficial nutrients as well as harmful contaminants. The prenatal period is a time of particular susceptibility to the adverse effects of organic mercury as well as to the beneficial influence of nutrients such as elongated n-3 fatty acids and selenium. However, little is known about the balance of risk and benefit from maternal fish intake during pregnancy on child development. The small number of previous studies regarding fish intake and child development are limited by lack of detailed nutrient measures, short duration of follow-up, and few outcome measures. In the proposed study, we will use information on maternal fish intake and biomarkers of mercury and nutrient exposure to examine the combined influence of the risks and benefits of maternal diet during pregnancy on child development. This project build upon the established infrastructure of Project Viva, an ongoing pre-birth US cohort study with stored maternal blood samples, validated prenatal dietary assessment, and detailed information on a number of covariates including home environment and other important predictors of child development. Study aims will be to assess associations of levels of mercury and n-3 fatty acids from maternal blood collected during pregnancy with child cognition and behavior at age 7 years. In addition, we will examine the influence of maternal prenatal fish intake on child cognition and behavior, with and without additional adjustment for mercury and n-3 fatty acids. We will explore the role of nutrients as modifiers of the effect of prenatal mercury exposure, by determining whether mercury has a stronger adverse effect among participants with lower levels of elongated n-3 fatty acids or selenium. Funds from this grant will support wide-ranging cognitive and behavioral assessments added to the already-funded cohort follow-up visit at age 7 years, as well as assays of exposure biomarkers and data analysis. This project is both cost- and time-efficient compared to the initiation of a new cohort, and offers many advantages over previous studies. The study team brings internationally recognized expertise in establishing, maintaining, and analyzing data from a longitudinal cohort, in performing and interpreting assays of nutrient and toxicant exposure, and in interpreting cognitive test results. The proposed study will provide information important to helping mothers and their health advisors make the best decisions about diet during pregnancy to optimize child development. The proposed study will provide timely and high quality data to inform the ongoing national policy discussion regarding the nutritional benefits as well as the contaminant risks from fish intake during pregnancy, and how these competing effects may balance out. Getting the message right is crucial, since pregnant women act upon recommendations regarding the safety of dietary fish intake. The right kind of message could improve children's developmental potential, but the wrong message could do the opposite.