TABLE 2.
Linear regression analyses of child IQ on maternal FAs dichotomized as lowest or highest quartile adjusted for 18 confounders (n = 2514–2523)1
| Verbal IQ | Performance IQ | Full scale IQ | ||||
| Quartile and FA | B (95% CI) | P | B (95% CI) | P | B (95% CI) | P |
| Lowest | ||||||
| 18:1n−7 | −1.40 (−2.78, −0.01) | 0.048 | 0.18 (−1.28, 1.64) | 0.810 | −0.70 (−2.05, 0.66) | 0.316 |
| 18:1n−9 | −0.52 (−1.88, 0.85) | 0.460 | −0.79 (−2.24, 0.65) | 0.281 | −0.65 (−2.00, 0.69) | 0.339 |
| 24:1n−9 | 0.53 (−0.84, 1.90) | 0.451 | 0.04 (−1.41, 1.49) | 0.955 | 0.32 (−1.03, 1.66) | 0.642 |
| 18:2n−6 | −0.30 (−1.72, 1.12) | 0.675 | −0.81 (−2.31, 0.68) | 0.286 | −0.61 (−2.00, 0.78) | 0.389 |
| 20:4n−6 | −0.83 (−2.23, 0.56) | 0.240 | −2.03 (−3.50, −0.57) | 0.007 | −1.54 (−2.91, −0.18) | 0.026 |
| 22:4n−6 | −0.37 (−1.76, 1.02) | 0.600 | −0.95 (−2.42, 0.52) | 0.205 | −0.69 (−2.06, 0.67) | 0.320 |
| 22:5n−6 | −1.43 (−2.81, −0.06) | 0.041 | −2.11 (−3.56, −0.66) | 0.004 | −1.95 (−3.30, −0.61) | 0.004 |
| 22:6n−3 | −1.48 (−2.89, −0.07) | 0.040 | −1.25 (−2.74, 0.24) | 0.099 | −1.52 (−2.91, −0.14) | 0.031 |
| Highest | ||||||
| 18:1n−7 | −0.57 (−1.98, 0.84) | 0.427 | −1.74 (−3.22, −0.26) | 0.021 | −1.25 (−2.63, 0.13) | 0.076 |
| 18:1n−9 | −0.72 (−2.20, 0.75) | 0.337 | −1.50 (−3.05, 0.06) | 0.059 | −1.29 (−2.73, 0.16) | 0.081 |
| 24:1n−9 | −0.32 (−1.71, 1.07) | 0.650 | −0.03 (−1.49, 1.43) | 0.969 | −0.21 (−1.57, 1.15) | 0.762 |
| 18:2n−6 | 1.39 (0.02, 2.76) | 0.047 | 0.77 (−0.68, 2.22) | 0.296 | 1.24 (−0.10, 2.58) | 0.071 |
| 20:4n−6 | −1.05 (−2.43, 0.34) | 0.138 | −1.26 (−2.71, 0.20) | 0.092 | −1.18 (−2.53, 0.18) | 0.089 |
| 22:4n−6 | −1.69 (−3.07, −0.31) | 0.016 | −0.69 (−2.15, 0.77) | 0.354 | −1.37 (−2.72, −0.01) | 0.048 |
| 22:5n−6 | −1.75 (−3.16, −0.35) | 0.014 | 0.26 (−1.23, 1.74) | 0.734 | −0.93 (−2.31, 0.45) | 0.185 |
| 22:6n−3 | −0.32 (−1.70, 1.06) | 0.650 | −0.05 (−1.50, 1.41) | 0.951 | −0.18 (−1.53, 1.17) | 0.797 |
1
High levels of linoleic acid (18:2n−6) and low levels of all other FAs were expected to have negative associations with IQ. Effect sizes are IQ points for the difference between the lowest or highest quartile for each FA compared with the other 3 quartiles combined. P < 0.02 was significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons (see Table S10 under “Supplemental data” in the online issue for permutation tests). FA, fatty acid; IQ, intelligence quotient.