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Physical activity and individual plasma phospholipid saturated fatty acids in pregnancy, a longitudinal study among a multiracial/multiethnic cohort in the United States.

BACKGROUND
Circulating individual saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in pregnant females are critical for maternal and fetal health. However, research on identifying their modifiable factors is limited.


OBJECTIVES
To examine the associations of total physical activity (PA) and types of PA with circulating individual SFAs during pregnancy in a multiracial/multiethnic cohort of pregnant females in the United States.


METHODS
The study included participants in a nested case-control study (N = 321) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons Cohort. Sampling weights were applied, so the results represented the entire Fetal Growth Cohort. Plasma phospholipid SFAs were measured at four visits (10-14 [visit 1], 15-26 [visit 2], 23-31 [visit 3], and 33-39 [visit 4] gestational weeks [GW]) throughout pregnancy. PA of the previous year at visit 1 and since the previous visit at the subsequent visits were assessed using the validated Pregnancy PA Questionnaire. Time-specific and longitudinal associations were examined using multivariable linear and generalized estimating equation models.


RESULTS
Total PA (metabolic equivalent of task-hours/week) was positively associated with circulating heptadecanoic acid (17:0) at visit 1 (β x 103 [95% confidence interval] = 0.07 [0.02, 0.11]) and pentadecanoic acid (15:0) at visit 3 (0.09 [0.03, 0.14]) independent of sociodemographic, reproductive, pregnancy, and dietary factors. Across the four visits, the positive associations with total PA were consistent for pentadecanoic acid (15:0) (0.06 [0.02, 0.10]) and heptadecanoic acid (17:0) (0.10 [0.06, 0.14]). Out of the four PA types (i.e., sports/exercise, household/caregiving, transportation, and occupational PA) considered, the magnitude of positive associations was the largest for sports/exercise PA.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that maternal PA is positively associated with circulating pentadecanoic and heptadecanoic acids. The findings warrant confirmation by future studies.