Cord Blood Manganese Concentrations in Relation to Birth Outcomes and Childhood Physical Growth: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Abstract

Gestational exposure to manganese (Mn), an essential trace element, is associated with fetal and childhood physical growth. However, it is unclear which period of growth is more significantly affected by prenatal Mn exposure. The current study was conducted to assess the associations of umbilical cord-blood Mn levels with birth outcomes and childhood continuous physical development. The umbilical cord-blood Mn concentrations of 1179 mother–infant pairs in the Sheyang mini birth cohort were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The association of cord-blood Mn concentrations with birth outcomes, and the BMI z-score at 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 years old, were estimated separately using generalized linear models. The relationship between prenatal Mn exposure and BMI z-score trajectory was assessed with generalized estimating equation models. The median of cord-blood Mn concentration was 29.25 μg/L. Significantly positive associations were observed between Mn exposure and ponderal index (β, regression coefficient = 0.065, 95% CI, confidence interval: 0.021, 0.109; p = 0.004). Mn exposure was negatively associated with the BMI z-score of children aged 1, 2, and 3 years (β = −0.383 to −0.249, p < 0.05), while no significant relationships were found between Mn exposure and the BMI z-score of children at the age of 6, 7, and 8 years. Prenatal Mn exposure was related to the childhood BMI z-score trajectory (β = −0.218, 95% CI: −0.416, −0.021; p = 0.030). These results indicated that prenatal Mn exposure was positively related to the ponderal index (PI), and negatively related to physical growth in childhood, which seemed most significant at an early stage.

Association of Maternal Plasma Manganese with the Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Nested Case–Control Study Based on the Beijing Birth Cohort Study (BBCS) in China

“…Manganese (Mn), as one of the essential trace elements, may play a vital role in fetal growth and development [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. A national nutrition and health survey in the United States showed that the blood Mn concentration of pregnant women was higher than that of non-pregnant women, suggesting that Mn plays an essential role in pregnancy [ 7 ].…”

Pregnancy-PBPK models: How are biochemical and physiological processes integrated?

“…This concept has been proposed in the 'Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)' hypothesis [3,4]. Numerous human biomonitoring studies have shown the wide exposure of pregnant women and their fetuses to numerous chemical families via the measurement of the concentration of chemicals in the maternal blood during pregnancy and/or in the umbilical cord at delivery [5][6][7]. In addition to environmental exposures, most pregnant women will likely be exposed to therapeutic drugs.…”

Micronutrients in Maternal and Infant Health: Where We Are and Where We Should Go

“…Wu et al [12] also examined the association between maternal exposure to vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, and selenium in early pregnancy and the risk of GDM, and found that vanadium was positively associated with the risk of GDM, while nickel was negatively associated. Dai et al [13] reported that prenatal manganese exposure was negatively correlated with childhood physical development, which appeared to be most significant in the early stages. These studies emphasized the importance of detecting the concentrations of trace elements during pregnancy.…”