O035 - MATERNAL INTAKES OF FISH AND FISH OMEGA-3 DURING PREGNANCY REDUCE THE RISK OF OFFSPRING INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

O035

MATERNAL INTAKES OF FISH AND FISH OMEGA-3 DURING PREGNANCY REDUCE THE RISK OF OFFSPRING INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

G. Ciobotaru^1,*, O. M. Anneberg¹, S. F. Olsen², A. V. Hansen¹, A. A. Bjerregaard³, Þ. I. Halldórsson^4,5, T. Jess¹, M. Brusco De Freitas¹

¹Center for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PREDICT), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, ²Centre for Fetal Programming, Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, ³Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg/Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, ⁴School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, ⁵Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

Rationale: This study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal fish intake during pregnancy on offspring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk, which was not previously explored.

Methods: Dietary data from the Danish National Birth Cohort, and data on offspring IBD cases from the National Patient Registry were used. The study included mother-child dyads where the mother had a singleton pregnancy, responded to the food frequency questionnaire, demonstrated plausible energy intake and children were under the age of 18. Maternal intakes of total fish, lean fish, oily fish and fish omega-3 fatty acids were assessed in g/day as tertiles, and fish oil supplement intake as yes/no. Cox regression evaluated the hazard ratio (HR) for IBD with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with the first tertile (lower intakes) as the reference. Analyses were adjusted for maternal body mass index, job qualification, maternal and offspring antibiotic use, smoking and parental IBD.

Results: A total of 59,430 mother-child dyads met the criteria, and 169 offspring developed IBD [Crohn’s disease (CD), n=93; Ulcerative colitis (UC), n=76]. The median intake of total fish was 27 g/day. High maternal intake of total fish was associated with 44% (HR: 0.56, CI: 0.37-0.83, p < 0.01) and 50% (HR: 0.50, CI: 0.29-0.89, p=0.02) reduced risk for offspring IBD and CD respectively. High maternal intake of lean fish also showed protective effects for IBD and CD (p=0.03). Additionally, high maternal intake of fish omega-3 fatty acids was associated with lower offspring IBD risk (p=0.046). No associations were found with the other variables.

Conclusion: This cohort study suggests that high maternal intakes of fish and fish omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy were associated with lower risk of offspring IBD.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared