Fish Oil in Expectant Moms Stifles Infant Sniffles

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A woman who consumes fish oil-type supplements during pregnancy may decrease

the number of colds early in her baby's life, according to a randomized,

controlled trial.

Cold symptoms occurred 24% less often among babies whose mothers took

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) pills during pregnancy (odds ratio 0.76, 95%

confidence interval 0.58 to 1.00), Usha Ramakrishnan, PhD, of Emory

University in Atlanta, and colleagues found.

Symptoms resolved faster throughout the first six months of life for the

supplement group compared with the placebo group, they reported in the

September issue of *Pediatrics*.

Oil from cold-water fish is a common source of DHA found in supplements, but

the study used an algae source instead to help with blinding by minimizing

the fishy taste that might have been a giveaway.

Whatever the source, the results suggested that omega-3 polyunsaturated

fatty acids like DHA " may influence fetal and infant immune function, " the

group wrote in *Pediatrics*.

Other studies have shown less infant atopic sensitization after prenatal DHA

supplementation and fewer and less severe illnesses, particularly

respiratory ones, with supplementation during childhood.

Ramakrishnan's group randomized 1,094 pregnant women in Mexico to receive

400 mg DHA or placebo daily during the later half of gestation.

Birth outcomes and subsequent breastfeeding were similar between groups. The

DHA supplementation group showed higher levels of DHA in maternal plasma and

in breast milk, as expected.

Cold symptoms altogether were less frequent at age 1 month with prenatal DHA

(37.6% versus 44.6% with placebo, *P*<0.05).

At 3 months, infants in the DHA group spent 14% less time ill overall

(*P*<0.0001),

with a trend for less cold symptom occurrence (37.8% versus 44.1%,

respectively).

Cough, nasal congestion, and other individual symptoms didn't differ in

incidence between groups, but typically had shorter duration in the DHA

group.

At 1 month, symptom duration for the DHA group compared with the placebo

group was (all *P*≤0.01):

- 26% shorter for cough

- 15%, shorter for phlegm

- 30% shorter for wheezing

- 22% longer for rash

At 6 months, symptom duration differences in the DHA versus placebo group

were (all *P*<0.05):

- 20% shorter for fever

- 13% shorter for nasal secretion

- 54% shorter for difficulty breathing

- 23% shorter for rash

- 25% shorter for " other illness, " such as ear infections and sore

throats

- 74% longer for vomiting

Diarrhea didn't differ between groups at 1, 3, and six months.

The results were most consistently in favor of supplementation for upper

respiratory symptoms, with a greater number of statistically significant

results than expected from chance alone, according to the researchers.

They cautioned, though, that symptoms were mother-reported and not confirmed

by a clinician.

The Mexican women in the study had low DHA intakes prior to supplementation,

at a median 80 mg per day compared with an estimated 100 mg to 200 mg per

day of DHA among women in the U.S.

The researchers suggested that their results should be generalized pregnant

women to of middle-to-lower socioeconomic status.

*Primary source: *Pediatrics

Source reference:

Imhoff-Kunsch B, et al " Prenatal Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation and

Infant Morbidity: Randomized Controlled Trial " *Pediatrics* 2011; DOI:

10.1542/peds.2010-1386.<http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2010-1386\

>

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Ortiz, MS, RD

*The FRUGAL Dietitian* <http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com>

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