Publications by authors named "Anne L Brantsaeter"
Background/objective: There is limited knowledge on how diet affects the epigenome of children. Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is emerging as an important factor impacting health, but mechanisms need to be uncovered. We therefore aimed to assess the association between UPF consumption and DNA methylation in children.
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- Children's diets across six European countries were found to be mostly unhealthy, with variation in dietary patterns linked to obesity.
- Norwegian children had the highest adherence to healthy eating patterns, while Lithuanian children consumed more sweets and processed foods.
- Poor adherence to healthy dietary patterns was associated with higher fat mass and obesity measures in both childhood and adolescence.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the link between maternal diet during pregnancy and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children, using data from over 85,000 Norwegian children born between 1999 and 2009.
- Results show that higher maternal diet diversity during pregnancy significantly lowers the risk of ulcerative colitis (UC) in children, while findings for Crohn's disease (CD) and overall IBD were not as strong.
- The research suggests that improving diet diversity for pregnant mothers might help reduce the risk of UC in their children, highlighting the importance of maternal nutrition.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined how dietary quality and diversity during pregnancy might affect the risk of celiac disease (CeD) in children using data from 85,122 mother-child pairs in Norway.
- Results indicated that both very low and very high dietary quality during pregnancy were linked to a lower risk of CeD in children, whereas dietary diversity did not show a significant association.
- The findings emphasize the importance of balanced dietary intake during pregnancy and its potential long-term health effects on children, especially regarding CeD.
Article Synopsis
- * The study highlights a significant discrepancy between dietary guidelines and actual food consumption in Norway, with over 60% of calories coming from imported sources.
- * Transitioning to more sustainable diets requires changing eating habits, focusing on local resources, and ensuring good animal welfare as key components of a sustainable food system.
Background: Diet diversity in early childhood promotes microbial diversity, influences the developing immune system, and has been linked to a reduced risk of immune-mediated diseases. This study aimed to determine the association between childhood diet diversity and later inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), for which data are limited.
Methods: Questionnaire data from the population-based birth cohorts All Babies in Southeast Sweden (ABIS) and the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort (MoBa), including participants from Southeast Sweden and Norway, were used to estimate a diet diversity score at ages 1 and 3 years.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of maternal vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid (DHA) deficiencies on neurodevelopmental traits in offspring, using a method called Mendelian randomization to establish causal relationships rather than just correlations.
- Results showed that while higher maternal vitamin-D levels were initially linked to lower ADHD traits in children, this association disappeared when controlling for genetic factors, indicating no causal maternal influence.
- The findings suggest that prior observational studies might have been misleading due to genetic confounding, and that genetic predispositions for autism and ADHD are related to lower levels of vitamin D and DHA in mothers.
Importance: Prenatal diet may be causally related to autism; however, findings are inconsistent, with a limited body of research based on small sample sizes and retrospective study designs.
Objective: To investigate the associations of prenatal dietary patterns with autism diagnosis and autism-associated traits in 2 large prospective cohorts, the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study used data from MoBa and ALSPAC birth cohort studies conducted across Norway and in the Southwest of England, respectively.
Article Synopsis
- Telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) are crucial biomarkers for assessing aging and oxidative stress; researchers hypothesized that exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) from fish would shorten TL and reduce mtDNAcn due to increased oxidative stress.
- A study involving children aged 6-11 from six European countries measured prenatal and postnatal mercury levels and determined TL and mtDNAcn, while controlling for factors like lifestyle and fish consumption.
- Results indicated that higher blood mercury levels were associated with longer TL, particularly during prenatal exposure, with significant variation based on concentration, while no changes in mtDNAcn were observed; further research is needed to understand these effects and their health implications.
Background: Blood total mercury concentration (BTHg) predominantly contains methyl Hg from seafood, and less inorganic Hg. Measured BTHg is often available only in a small proportion of large cohort study samples. Associations between estimated dietary intake of total Hg (THg) and lower birth weight within strata of maternal seafood intake was previously reported in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetailed knowledge regarding the associations between intake of different types of seafood and meat and the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and insight into possible mechanisms are warranted. In this study we aimed to evaluate the associations between intake of different types of seafood and meat and the subsequent risk of T2D using the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), and furthermore, by using a mouse model to gain further insight into possible molecular mechanisms contributing to the associated metabolic changes. Women in MoBa who were free of pharmacologically treated diabetes at baseline (n = 60,777) were prospectively evaluated for incident T2D, identified on the basis of medication usages > 90 days after delivery, ascertained by the Norwegian Prescription Database.
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- Trace elements play a crucial role in human health but can also be toxic; their absorption and effects are influenced by genetics, but this area is still under-researched.
- This study conducted genome-wide analysis on 57 trace elements using blood samples from Scandinavian individuals, identifying 11 new genetic locations linked to the levels of specific elements such as arsenic, zinc, and selenium.
- The findings suggest some trace elements may have weak to moderate health impacts, with notable indications of increased zinc potentially being harmful and linked to prostate cancer, though more validation is required.
Background: In Norway, there is a lack of knowledge about the iodine status in the general and older adult population, and there is no established national monitoring programme for iodine. Several studies have indicated that iodine deficiency is prevalent in subgroups of the population. Salt iodisation is currently being considered as a measure to increase the population iodine status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to investigate whether higher dietary intake of marine n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of type 1 diabetes in children.
Methods: The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) together include 153,843 mother-child pairs with prospectively collected data on eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake during pregnancy from validated food frequency questionnaires. Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in children (n=634) was ascertained from national diabetes registries.
Objective: We assessed whether early-life diet quality and food intake frequencies were associated with subsequent IBD.
Design: Prospectively recorded 1-year and 3-year questionnaires in children from the All Babies in Southeast Sweden and The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study were used to assess diet quality using a Healthy Eating Index and intake frequency of food groups. IBD was defined as >2 diagnoses in national patient registers.
Background: Smoking impacts DNA methylation, but data are lacking on smoking-related differential methylation by sex or dietary intake, recent smoking cessation (<1 year), persistence of differential methylation from in utero smoking exposure, and effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Methods: We meta-analysed data from up to 15,014 adults across 5 cohorts with DNA methylation measured in blood using Illumina's EPIC array for current smoking (2560 exposed), quit < 1 year (500 exposed), in utero (286 exposed), and ETS exposure (676 exposed). We also evaluated the interaction of current smoking with sex or diet (fibre, folate, and vitamin C).
Iodine is essential for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). As in many other parts of the world, insufficient iodine intake and consequently insufficient iodine status is a public health challenge in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The main dietary sources of iodine in the Nordic and Baltic countries include cow's milk, saltwater fish, eggs, products containing iodised salt, and iodised table salt.
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- Mercury is widely used in industry and products, leading to significant environmental contamination and occupational exposure, with genetic factors potentially influencing how it is absorbed and metabolized in the body.
- A study analyzed blood mercury levels in pregnant women and children to identify genetic variations (SNPs) linked to mercury concentrations, finding an estimated heritability of 24% in pregnant women but not in children.
- The research identified 16 SNPs connected to mercury levels in pregnant women and 21 in children, but there was no significant overlap or conclusive results, suggesting differences in metabolism and the need for further validation of these findings.
Background: Norway is lacking a population-based national monitoring program for iodine, sodium, and vitamin D status.
Objective: The aim of this study was to pilot-test a study design for collecting biological samples from a country-representative sample of 2-year-old children and their mothers and to report results for iodine, salt, and vitamin D at baseline, before initiation of salt iodization in Norway.
Design: In a cross-sectional study, we recruited 2-year-old children and their mothers during the routine 2-year check-up through 38 randomly selected health clinics in 2021.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the link between maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy and children's body mass index (BMI) and risk of overweight at age 5.
- It uses data from two cohorts: the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study and the Swedish GraviD study, analyzing maternal vitamin D and children's BMI through regression models.
- Findings suggest that low maternal vitamin D (below 30 nmol/L) is associated with lower BMI in children, especially among mothers who are overweight or obese, but does not significantly affect the risk of childhood overweight.
Article Synopsis
- A significant number of pregnant women in Norway have insufficient vitamin D levels, prompting this study to assess their vitamin D intake from diet and supplements, as well as factors affecting their vitamin D status.* -
- The research involved nearly 3,000 pregnant women from the Norwegian Environmental Biobank, utilizing food frequency questionnaires and blood tests to evaluate vitamin D intake and 25OHD concentrations.* -
- Findings revealed that 61% of participants did not meet the recommended vitamin D intake, with higher levels linked to factors like season, supplement use, and lifestyle choices, indicating the need for improved vitamin D intake strategies during pregnancy.*
Pregnancy represents a critical window for both maternal and child health. Previous studies have shown that the consumption of an organic diet during pregnancy can reduce pesticide exposure compared with the consumption of a conventional diet. It is possible that this could, in turn, improve pregnancy outcomes, because maternal pesticide exposure during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications.
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- The study investigates how maternal and paternal levels of cholesterol and apolipoproteins affect their children's growth from birth to 8 years old, focusing on weight and body mass index (BMI).
- Results show that higher maternal total cholesterol is linked to increased offspring weight, while higher maternal HDL cholesterol and apoA1 levels are associated with less weight gain; paternal impact is less consistent.
- The findings suggest that maternal lipid levels are more influential on childhood weight change than paternal levels, with no significant link found between any parental lipid levels and height or BMI.
Objective: To investigate the association between intake of sucrose-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and risk of developing pharmacologically treated hypertension in a population of Norwegian mothers followed up to 10 years after delivery.
Design: Women without hypertension at baseline in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (n=60 027) who delivered between 2004 and 2009 were linked to the Norwegian Prescription Database to ascertain antihypertensive medication use after the first 90 days following delivery. Diet was assessed by a validated semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire in mid pregnancy.
Background: A high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is often associated with low nutritional quality, but data on associations with biomarkers are scarce. We aimed to explore associations between UPF intake, diet quality, and concentrations of biomarkers of nutrition and inflammation measured in mid-pregnancy.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included = 2,984 pregnant women recruited during 2002-2008 in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).