Evidence Hub

Docosahexaenoic Acid Effect on Prenatal Exposure to Arsenic and Atopic Dermatitis in Mexican Preschoolers

Figueroa-Garduño I, Escamilla-Núñez C, Barraza-Villarreal A, Hernández-Cadena L, Onofre-Pardo EN, Romieu I

Biological trace element research, 2023

Abstract

Childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and recurrent health problem that involves multiple factors, particularly immunological and environmental. We evaluated the impact of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on prenatal arsenic exposure on the risk of atopic dermatitis in preschool children as part of the POSGRAD (Prenatal Omega-3 fatty acid Supplements, GRowth, And Development) clinical trial study in the city of Morelos, Mexico. Our study population included 300 healthy mother-child pairs. Of these, 146 were in the placebo group and 154 in the supplement group. Information on family history, health, and other variables was obtained through standardized questionnaires used during follow-up. Prenatal exposure to arsenic concentrations, which appear in maternal urine, was measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. To assess the effect of prenatal arsenic exposure on AD risk, we ran a generalized estimating equation model for longitudinal data, adjusting for potential confounders, and testing for interaction by omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy. The mean and SD (standard deviation) of arsenic concentration during pregnancy was 0.06 mg/L, SD (0.04 mg/L). We found a marginally significant association between prenatal arsenic exposure and AD (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.26); however, DHA supplementation during pregnancy modified the effect of arsenic on AD risk (p < 0.05). The results of this study strengthen the evidence…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free