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Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT: Dietary methylmercury intake can occur not only through fish ingestion but also through rice ingestion; however, rice does not contain the same beneficial micronutrients as fish.In rural China, where rice is a staple food, associations between prenatal methylmercury exposure (assessed using maternal hair mercury) and impacts on offspring neurodevelopment were investigated.A total of 398 mothers were recruited at parturition at which time a sample of scalp hair was collected. Offspring (n=270, 68%) were assessed at 12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, yielding age-adjusted scores for the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Developmental Index (PDI).Among 270 mothers, 85% ingested rice daily, 41% never or rarely ingested fish/shellfish and 11% ingested fish/shellfish at least twice/weekly. Maternal hair mercury averaged 0.41?g/g (median: 0.39?g/g, range: 0.079-1.7?g/g). In unadjusted models, offspring neurodevelopment (both MDI and PDI) was inversely correlated with hair mercury. Associations were strengthened after adjustment for fish/shellfish ingestion, rice ingestion, total energy intake (kcal), and maternal/offspring characteristics for both the MDI [Beta: -4.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): -9.7, -0.12] and the PDI (Beta: -2.7, 95% CI: -8.3, 2.9), although confidence intervals remained wide for the latter.For 12-month old offspring living in rural China, prenatal methylmercury exposure was associated with statistically significant decrements in offspring cognition, but not psychomotor development. Results expose potential new vulnerabilities for communities depending on rice as a staple food.

SUBMITTER: Rothenberg SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5086436 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study.

Rothenberg Sarah E SE Yu Xiaodan X Liu Jihong J Biasini Fred J FJ Hong Chuan C Jiang Xu X Nong Yanfen Y Cheng Yue Y Korrick Susan A SA

International journal of hygiene and environmental health 20160722 8

<h4>Background</h4>Dietary methylmercury intake can occur not only through fish ingestion but also through rice ingestion; however, rice does not contain the same beneficial micronutrients as fish.<h4>Objectives</h4>In rural China, where rice is a staple food, associations between prenatal methylmercury exposure (assessed using maternal hair mercury) and impacts on offspring neurodevelopment were investigated.<h4>Methods</h4>A total of 398 mothers were recruited at parturition at which time a sa ...[more]

PMID: 27503636

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Project description:BackgroundIron plays a role in many key processes in the developing brain. During pregnancy, iron supplementation is widely recommended to prevent and treat iron deficiency; however, the prevalence of iron deficiency and the risk of iron overload vary greatly between populations. Evidence on the role of high levels of maternal ferritin, a storage iron marker during pregnancy in relation to offspring neurodevelopment is lacking.ObjectiveOur main objective was to examine if maternal ferritin levels during pregnancy are associated with child cognitive and motor abilities.MethodsWe included Dutch mother-child dyads from the prospective population-based Generation R Study, born in 2002-2006. We compared children whose mothers had high (standard deviation score >+1) or low (standard deviation score <-1) early-pregnancy ferritin to children whose mothers had intermediate ferritin (reference group) using linear regression. Children underwent non-verbal intelligence and language tests at 4-9 years (cognitive abilities), finger-tapping and balancing tests at 8-12 years (motor abilities), and structural magnetic resonance imaging at 8-12 years (brain morphology). Covariates were child age, sex, maternal intelligence quotient estimate, age, body-mass-index, education, parity, smoking and alcohol use.ResultsOf the 2479 mother-child dyads with data on maternal ferritin and at least one child neurodevelopmental outcome, 387 mothers had low (mean = 20.6 µg/L), 1700 intermediate (mean = 64.6 µg/L) and 392 high (mean = 170.3 µg/L) early-pregnancy ferritin. High maternal ferritin was associated with 2.54 points (95% confidence interval -4.16, -0.92) lower child intelligence quotient and 16.02 cm3 (95% confidence interval -30.57, -1.48) smaller brain volume. Results remained similar after excluding mothers with high C-reactive protein. Low maternal ferritin was not associated with child cognitive abilities. Maternal ferritin was unrelated to child motor outcomes.ConclusionHigh maternal ferritin during pregnancy was associated with poorer child cognitive abilities and smaller brain volume. Maternal iron status during pregnancy may be associated with offspring neurodevelopment.

Project description:Background: Fetal exposure to paracetamol (acetaminophen) has been shown to be associated with asthma and other atopic disorders, as well as behavioural problems including hyperactivity, in childhood. However, there is little information on scholastic abilities among children exposed to paracetamol in pregnancy. Objectives: To determine whether there are any differences in scholastic abilities among the offspring of women who ingested paracetamol during pregnancy compared with non-exposed children. Methods: Mothers enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) had recorded the frequency with which they had taken the medication over two time periods during pregnancy: i) the first 18 weeks and ii) 18-32 weeks. The offspring have been followed up ever since. For this study we use as outcomes: a) 14 tests of ability at reading and 2 of spelling using the study's tests and the national education system test results; b) 6 of mathematical abilities including tests of arithmetic and mathematical reasoning, and c) 1 of scientific understanding. Multiple regression was used, adjusting for 15 different exposures including reasons for taking the medication as well as demographic features. Results: Almost all unadjusted and adjusted mean differences were negative (i.e., those exposed to maternal intake of paracetamol did less well), but negative associations for exposures between 18 and 32 weeks of gestation were much more evident than for exposures earlier in pregnancy. Of the later exposures, after adjustment, 12 of the 23 scholastic tests were associated with prenatal exposure to paracetamol at p < 0.05. These negative effects were found in the girls (12 tests at p < 0.05) but not boys (0 tests at p < 0.05). Conclusion: Evidence from this longitudinal study suggests that maternal exposure to paracetamol is associated with disadvantages to the offspring in scholastic abilities such as mathematics and reading at secondary school ages. This raises the question as to whether there are longer-lasting effects on educational attainment from age 15 years onwards, including at university level. Clearly these results should be tested in other settings, but meanwhile they add to a growing accumulation of known adverse effects of exposure to paracetamol in pregnancy.

Dataset Information

Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study.

Publications

Maternal methylmercury exposure through rice ingestion and offspring neurodevelopment: A prospective cohort study.

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