Impact of erythrocyte long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in early pregnancy on birth outcomes: findings from a Belgian cohort study

To examine the association between maternal erythrocyte long-chain omega-3 PUFA (n-3 LCPUFA), measured in early pregnancy, and pregnancy and birth outcomes. One hundred and eight healthy women with a singleton pregnancy were included. Erythrocyte fatty acids were analyzed using gas chromatography. Gestational length, birth anthropometric measures, and pregnancy-associated complications were collected from hospital medical records. We observed significant positive associations between maternal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels (p = 0.024) and omega-3 index values (p = 0.021) and gestational length in adjusted linear regression models. Each point in maternal DHA level was associated with 2.19 days longer gestational duration (β = 2.19; 95% CI 0.29–4.09). No consistent associations were found between n-3 PUFA levels and composite pregnancy outcome. These findings suggest that the gestational length is positively affected by maternal n-3 LCPUFA status as soon as the early stages of pregnancy.