Prospective associations of maternal choline status with offspring body composition in the first 5 years of life in two large mother–offspring cohorts: the Southampton Women’s Survey cohort and the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes cohort
Year: 2018
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Choline status has been positively associated with weight and fat mass in animal and human studies. As evidence examining maternal circulating choline concentrations and offspring body composition in human infants/children is lacking, we investigated this in two cohorts. METHODS: Maternal choline concentrations were measured in the UK Southampton Women's Survey (SWS; serum, n = 985, 11 weeks' gestation) and Singapore Growing Up Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO); n = 955, 26-28 weeks' gestation) mother-offspring cohorts. Offspring anthropometry was measured at birth and up to age 5 years. Body fat mass was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at birth and age 4 years for SWS; and using air-displacement plethysmography at birth and age 5 years for GUSTO. Linear-regression analyses were performed, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: In SWS, higher maternal choline concentrations were associated with higher neonatal total body fat mass {β = 0.60 standard deviation [SD]/5 µmol/L maternal choline [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04-1.16]} and higher subscapular skinfold thickness [β = 0.55 mm/5 µmol/L (95% CI, 0.12-1.00)] at birth. In GUSTO, higher maternal choline concentrations were associated with higher neonatal body mass index-for-age z-score [β = 0.31 SD/5 µmol/L (0.10-0.51)] and higher triceps [β = 0.38 mm/5 µmol/L (95% CI, 0.11-0.65)] and subscapular skinfold thicknesses [β = 0.26 mm/5 µmol/L (95% CI, 0.01-0.50)] at birth. No consistent trends were observed between maternal choline and offspring gain in body mass index, skinfold thicknesses, abdominal circumference, weight, length/height and adiposity measures in later infancy and early childhood. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that maternal circulating choline concentrations during pregnancy are positively associated with offspring BMI, skinfold thicknesses and adiposity at birth, but not with growth and adiposity through infancy and early childhood to the age of 5 years.
DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy291
Authors: Linde van Lee, Sarah R Crozier, Izzuddin M Aris, Mya T Tint, Suresh Anand Sadananthan, Navin Michael, Phaik Ling Quah, Sian M Robinson, Hazel M Inskip, Nicholas C Harvey, Mary Barker, Cyrus Cooper, Sendhil S Velan, Yung Seng Lee, Marielle V Fortier, Fabian Yap, Peter D Gluckman, Kok Hian Tan, Lynette P Shek, Yap-Seng Chong, Keith M Godfrey, Mary F F Chong
Institutions: Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, National University of Singapore, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, National University Hospital, National University Health System, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Nanyang Technological University, Duke-NUS Medical School, University of Auckland, Clinical Nutrition Research Centre
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Institute on Handicapped Research, Neurosciences Research Foundation, National Institute for Health and Care Research, British Heart Foundation, Dunhill Medical Trust, National Research Foundation, Versus Arthritis, National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, National Science Foundation, United Arab Emirates, Medical Research Council, National Medical Research Council, Naval Medical Research Center
Awards: Vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy: A systematic review, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, G3720057038, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, Sarcopenia, Frailty and Clinical Practice in Older People, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, Epigenetic biomarkers and determinants of cardiovascular risk in children, G6219046052, Lifecourse Determinants of Bone and Joint Disease, NIHR Senior Investigator Award, Assessment of LifeLab Southampton: engaging teenagers in increasing their interest in science to improve their health behaviours, Nutrition, Development and Lifelong Health: Studies in European Populations, Maternal vitamin B12, folic acid and homocysteine as determinants of gestational diabetes, fetal growth and intergenerational programming of diabesity
OpenAlex ID: W2910250077