Dietary acrylamide intake during pregnancy and fetal growth-results from the Norwegian mother and child cohort study (MoBa)

• Published in: Environmental health perspectives Vol. 121; no. 3; pp. 374 - 379
• Main Authors: Duarte-Salles, Talita, von Stedingk, Hans, Granum, Berit, Gützkow, Kristine B, Rydberg, Per, Törnqvist, Margareta, Mendez, Michelle A, Brunborg, Gunnar, Brantsæter, Anne Lise, Meltzer, Helle Margrete, Alexander, Jan, Haugen, Margaretha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01-03-2013
• Subjects: Acrylamide; Acrylamide - administration & dosage; Acrylamide - pharmacology; Birth; Birth weight; Births; Children & youth; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Correlation; Diet; Environmental Exposure; Estimates; Exposure; Female; Fetal Development - drug effects; Fetus; Food and nutrition; Food safety; Gestational age; Growth; Hb adducts; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Hemoglobins - chemistry; Human; Humans; Intakes; Metabolites; MoBa; Mothers; Norway; Population; Pregnancy; Public health; Questionnaires; small for gestational age; Smoking; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Ultrasonic imaging; Womens health; Norway
• ISSN: 0091-6765; 1552-9924; 1552-9924
• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1205396

Acrylamide has shown developmental and reproductive toxicity in animals, as well as neurotoxic effects in humans with occupational exposures. Because it is widespread in food and can pass through the human placenta, concerns have been raised about potential developmental effects of dietary exposures in humans.
We assessed associations of prenatal exposure to dietary acrylamide with small for gestational age (SGA) and birth weight.
This study included 50,651 women in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Acrylamide exposure assessment was based on intake estimates obtained from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which were compared with hemoglobin (Hb) adduct measurements reflecting acrylamide exposure in a subset of samples (n = 79). Data on infant birth weight and gestational age were obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Multivariable regression was used to estimate associations between prenatal acrylamide and birth outcomes.
Acrylamide intake during pregnancy was negatively associated with fetal growth. When women in the highest quartile of acrylamide intake were compared with women in the lowest quartile, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for SGA was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.21) and the coefficient for birth weight was -25.7 g (95% CI: -35.9, -15.4). Results were similar after excluding mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Maternal acrylamide- and glycidamide-Hb adduct levels were correlated with estimated dietary acrylamide intakes (Spearman correlations = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.44; and 0.48; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.63, respectively).
Lowering dietary acrylamide intake during pregnancy may improve fetal growth.