AUTHOR=Dåstøl Vilde Øverlien , Haftorn Kristine Løkås , Rudsari Hamid Khoshfekr , Jaholkowski Piotr Pawel , Størdal Ketil , Håberg Siri Eldevik , Weinberg Clarice R. , Rider Lisa G. , Andreassen Ole A. , Brantsæter Anne Lise , Caspersen Ida Henriette , Sanner Helga 

TITLE=Maternal seafood intake, dietary contaminant exposure, and risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: exploring gene-environment interactions

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1523990

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2024.1523990

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=ObjectivesJuvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) originates from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. We investigated the association between seafood intake and dietary contaminant exposure during pregnancy and JIA risk, to identify sex differences and gene-environment interactions.MethodsWe used the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a population-based prospective pregnancy cohort (1999–2008). JIA patients were identified through the Norwegian Patient Registry, with remaining mother-child pairs serving as controls. We assessed maternal seafood intake and dietary contaminants typically found in seafood using a food frequency questionnaire completed during pregnancy, mainly comparing high (≥90th percentile, P90) vs low (<P90) intake. Multivariable logistic regression calculated adjusted odds ratios (aOR), including sex-stratification analyses. A polygenic risk score (PRS) for JIA was used in a subsample to assess gene-environment interactions.ResultsWe identified 217 JIA patients and 71,884 controls. High vs low maternal intake of lean/semi-oily fish was associated with JIA (aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.02-2.22), especially among boys (aOR 2.13, 95% CI 1.21-3.75). A significant gene-environment interaction was observed between total fish intake and PRS, with high fish intake associated with JIA primarily in those with low PRS (p<0.03). We found no associations between high vs low exposure to other types of seafood or environmental contaminants and JIA.ConclusionsWe found a modestly increased risk of JIA associated with high intake of lean/semi-oily fish during pregnancy, not explained by estimated exposure to dietary contaminants. Our data suggest a more pronounced association in children with a lower genetic predisposition for JIA.