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Fish oil for pregnant mothers helps babies resist colds, study finds
Medpage Today
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 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 the most abundant and 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 the journal Pediatrics.
