Maastricht Essential Fatty Acid Birth Cohort

The Maastricht Essential Fatty Acid Birth Cohort (MEFAB) was founded in 1989 by Prof. Dr. Gerard Hornstra of Maastricht University. MEFAB prospectively examines a population sample of pregnant women and their children in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Between 1989 and 1995, 1200 healthy pregnant women attending three maternity clinics in Limburg participated in the study. In 2013 Dr. Marij Gielen en Professor Maurice Zeegers, took over the custody of the dataset.

The goal of MEFAB was to investigate the impact of early essential fatty acid status during the first, second, and third trimesters, as well as at birth, on later development and health. This cohort is the only prospective mother-child cohort worldwide that includes comprehensive data on the plasma fatty acid composition of mothers at various points during pregnancy and at delivery. In-person visits with parents and children were conducted in early, mid, and late childhood, along with an online follow-up evaluation in young adulthood.

Analysis of these observational data could assist in determining critical developmental periods during which dietary fat modulation has the potential to influence health from birth to adulthood. Additionally, it could contribute to updating intervention strategies related to prenatal nutrition.

Recently, the focus has shifted from essential fatty acid status to prenatal exposure to the built environment and its impact on development and health.

Τhe main health outcomes evaluated in the MEFAB cohort are:

• Reproductive outcomes (intrauterine growth and early birth)
• Lung function
• Immunity and atopy
• Neurodevelopment
• Growth, obesity and cardiometabolic traits