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Bisgaard H, Mikkelsen M, Rasmussen MA, Sevelsted A, Schoos AMM, Brustad N, Eliasen AU, Thorsen J, Chawes B, Gürdeniz G, Morin A, Stark K, Stokholm J, Ober C, Pedersen CET, Bønnelykke K. Atopic and non-atopic effects of fish oil supplementation during pregnancy. Thorax 2023; 78:1168-1174. [PMID: 37696621 PMCID: PMC10777305 DOI: 10.1136/thorax-2022-219725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We recently conducted a double-blinded randomised controlled trial showing that fish-oil supplementation during pregnancy reduced the risk of persistent wheeze or asthma in the child by 30%. Here, we explore the mechanisms of the intervention. METHODS 736 pregnant women were given either placebo or n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in the third trimester in a randomised controlled trial. Deep clinical follow-up of the 695 children in the trial was done at 12 visits until age 6 years, including assessment of genotype at the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) locus, plasma fatty acids, airway DNA methylation, gene expression, microbiome and metabolomics. RESULTS Supplementation with n-3 LCPUFA reduced the overall risk of non-atopic asthma by 73% at age 6 (relative risk (RR) 0.27 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.85), p=0.042). In contrast, there was no overall effect on asthma with atopic traits (RR 1.42 (95% CI 0.63 to 3.38), p=0.40), but this was significantly modified by maternal FADS genotype and LCPUFA blood levels (interaction p<0.05), and supplementation did reduce the risk of atopic asthma in the subgroup of mothers with FADS risk variants and/or low blood levels of n-3 LCPUFA before the intervention (RR 0.31 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.75), p=0.016). Furthermore, n-3 LCPUFA significantly reduced the number of infections (croup, gastroenteritis, tonsillitis, otitis media and pneumonia) by 16% (incidence rate ratio 0.84 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.96), p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS n-3 LCPUFA supplementation in pregnancy showed protective effects on non-atopic asthma and infections. Protective effects on atopic asthma depended on maternal FADS genotype and n-3 LCPUFA levels. This indicates that the fatty acid pathway is involved in multiple mechanisms affecting the risk of asthma subtypes and infections. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT00798226.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Bisgaard
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Marianne Mikkelsen
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Morten Arendt Rasmussen
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Astrid Sevelsted
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Ann-Marie Malby Schoos
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Pediatrics, Slagelse Sygehus, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicklas Brustad
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Anders U Eliasen
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Jonathan Thorsen
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Bo Chawes
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gözde Gürdeniz
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Andreanne Morin
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Ken Stark
- Department of Kinesiology and Human Health, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jakob Stokholm
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Pediatrics, Slagelse Sygehus, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Carole Ober
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Casper Emil Tingskov Pedersen
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Klaus Bønnelykke
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Bisgaard H, Chawes B, Stokholm J, Mikkelsen M, Schoos AMM, Bønnelykke K. 25 Years of translational research in the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC). J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 151:619-633. [PMID: 36642652 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) mother-child cohorts have provided a foundation of 25 years of research on the origins, prevention, and natural history of childhood asthma and related disorders. COPSAC's approach is characterized by clinical translational research with longitudinal deep phenotyping and exposure assessments from pregnancy, in combination with multi-omic data layers and embedded randomized controlled trials. One trial showed that fish oil supplementation during pregnancy prevented childhood asthma and identified pregnant women with the highest benefits from supplementation, thereby creating the potential for personalized prevention. COPSAC revealed that airway colonization with pathogenic bacteria in early life is associated with an increased risk of asthma. Further, airway bacteria were shown to be a trigger of acute asthma-like symptoms, with benefit from antibiotic treatment. COPSAC identified an immature gut microbiome in early life as a risk factor for asthma and allergy and further demonstrated that asthma can be predicted by infant lung function. At a molecular level, COPSAC has identified novel susceptibility genes, early immune deviations, and metabolomic alterations associated with childhood asthma. Thus, the COPSAC research program has enhanced our understanding of the processes causing childhood asthma and has suggested means of personalized prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Bisgaard
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bo Chawes
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jakob Stokholm
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Marianne Mikkelsen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ann-Marie Malby Schoos
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Klaus Bønnelykke
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Impact of DHA from Algal Oil on the Breast Milk DHA Levels of Lactating Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14163410. [PMID: 36014916 PMCID: PMC9415549 DOI: 10.3390/nu14163410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Population research on the intervention of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in lactating women is in its infancy in China. This study investigated the effect of DHA supplementation on DHA concentrations in the breast milk of lactating women, and the intervention effect, with respect to different dietary patterns. In this trial, 160 healthy lactating women in Nanjing (30−50 days postpartum) were recruited and randomly divided into control (one placebo capsule of similar appearance per day) and supplement (one capsule with 200 mg of DHA from algal oil per day) groups for 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, all subjects were asked to maintain basic information, maternal anthropometric parameters, breast milk (10−15 mL) sample collection, and a dietary survey using a food frequency questionnaire. The concentrations of DHA and other fatty acids in breast milk were detected using capillary gas chromatography. This study was completed by 137 subjects, with 60 in the control group and 77 in the supplement group. Compared with the DHA concentrations in the breast milk at enrollment, the absolute concentrations of the control group showed a significant decrease at the end of the trial (p = 0.037). In addition, after intervention, the absolute and relative DHA concentrations in the supplement group (10.07 mg/100 mL and 0.40%, respectively) were higher than those in the control group (7.57 mg/100 mL and 0.28%, respectively), being statistically significant (p = 0.012 and p = 0.001). Furthermore, the maternal diet in the supplement group was divided into four dietary patterns. Pattern 1 mainly included fruits and livestock meat. Pattern 2 was dominated by milk and its products, eggs, fish, shrimp and shellfish, and soybeans and its products. Pattern 3 chiefly comprised cereal and beans other than soybeans, potatoes, and nuts. Pattern 4 was high in poultry meat and low in cooking oils. The change in the absolute concentration of DHA in Pattern 3 was lower than that in other patterns (p < 0.05). In conclusion, DHA supplementation in lactating mothers increased breast milk DHA concentrations. The dietary pattern mainly characterized by cereal and beans other than soybeans, potatoes, and nuts may contribute to the poor intervention effect.
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