The effect of maternal omega-3 (n-3) LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy on early childhood cognitive and visual development: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Gould, Jacqueline F; Smithers, Lisa G.; Makrides, Maria

doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.045781

Cited by 192 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(153 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

126

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[23][24][25][26][27][28] These studies have been extensively reviewed and results are currently inconclusive. [29][30][31][32] Contrasting results from n-3 DHA trials may be due differences in timing or exposure as well as type and dose of n-3 DHA supplementation. Another possible explanation is that total n-3 DHA exposure (total intake from food and supplemental sources) has not been accounted for.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intake of Total Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid Associated with Increased Gestational Length and Improved Cognitive Performance at 1 Year of Age

Miller

Harris

Baker

et al. 2016

JNHFE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Maternal omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (n-3 DHA) intake during pregnancy and/or lactation has been positively associated with infant growth and cognitive development. However, the majority of studies have not examined the effect of supplementing mothers with n-3 DHA during both pregnancy and lactation and fail to account for total maternal n-3 DHA intake. Aims:To determine the effect of increasing n-3 DHA intake during pregnancy and lactation on infant neurocognitive development in the firstyear of life.Study Design: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled design was used.Subjects: 115 pregnant women were randomized to receive purified tuna oil supplement containing 300mg of n-3 DHA and 67mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) per day or an identical placebo (Sunola Oil) for the last trimester of pregnancy through the first 3months of lactation.Outcome Measures: Neurocognitive development was measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III at 4 and 12months of age. Gestational length was determined sing the LMP method.Results:Infants born to mothers with >600mg n-3 DHA/day showed significantly higher scores on the 12month cognitive scale of the BSID-III (p=0.018) compared to infants born to mothers with <300mg n-3 DHA/day. Infants born to mothers in the n-3 DHA supplement group had an increase of 4.5days in gestational age (p=0.048) and significantly lower incidence of preterm birth (5%; n=3) compared to infants born to mothers in the control group (18%; n=10; c2=4.97, p=0.026).Conclusions:Maternal intake of ≥600mg n-3 DHA/day during the third trimester of gestation throughout the first threemonths of breastfeeding was associated with small but significant increases in gestational length and enhanced neurocognitive performance in infants at 1year of age. during pregnancy, including increased gestational age, decreased preterm birth incidence, and improved infant growth and cognitive development. The large Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children demonstrated that women consuming greater than 340g of fish per week gave birth to children with decreased risk for poor performance on age appropriate tests of cognitive development compared to mothers with low seafood intake during pregnancy. 12Postnatal n-3 DHA supplementation studies have shown no conclusive effect of DHA intake on infant growth and neuro cognitive development and, when significant, the most dramatic effects are seen in preterm infants.23-28 These studies have been extensively reviewed and results are currently inconclusive.29-32 Contrasting results from n-3 DHA trials may be due differences in timing or exposure as well as type and dose of n-3 DHA supplementation. Another possible explanation is that total n-3 DHA exposure (total intake from food and supplemental sources) has not been accounted for. The present study was designed to examine the effects of n-3 DHA intake during pregnancy and lactation on infant neuro cognitive development using the BSID-III during the first year of life. Methods Study design11...

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intake of Total Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid Associated with Increased Gestational Length and Improved Cognitive Performance at 1 Year of Age

Miller

Harris

Baker

et al. 2016

JNHFE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews have concluded to no clear benefit on child's psychomotor development of supplementing both term and preterm infants with formulas enriched in LC-PUFA (Schulzke et al, 2011;Simmer et al, 2011). Trials supplementing pregnant or lactating women with fish-oil rich in LC-PUFA have not resulted in more evidence regarding similar outcomes in children (Delgado-Noguera et al, 2010;Gould et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early life exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids and psychomotor development in children from the EDEN mother-child cohort

Bernard

Armand

Forhan

et al. 2015

OCL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Epidemiological studies have reported that breastfed children have improved psychomotor development compared to never breastfed children. Human studies suggest that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially long chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) which are highly contained in breast milk, could explain this link, since they are needed for pre-and postnatal brain development. Our aim was to study the relationships between several measures of pre-and postnatal exposures to PUFA and child's psychomotor development at 2 and 3 years in the EDEN cohort. We evaluated breastfeeding duration, colostrum PUFA levels and maternal dietary PUFA intake during pregnancy, that we related with three scores of psychomotor development, after taking into account potential confounders. Breastfeeding duration was positively associated with psychomotor development. No relationship was found with both pre-and postnatal exposure to LC-PUFA. However, the maternal dietary omega-6/omega-3 ratio was negatively associated with psychomotor development, mainly driven by intake in linoleic acid (LA). Among breastfed children, linoleic acid levels were negatively associated with psychomotor development. Furthermore, children exposed to the highest colostrum LA levels tended to score closer to never breastfed children than to children exposed to the lowest colostrums LA levels. Taken together, these results do not provide evidence in favour of a positive role of pre-and postnatal exposure to LC-PUFA on later psychomotor development, but highlight a potential negative role of being exposed in early life to high LA levels. From a public health perspective, this work reiterates the need to promote breastfeeding duration, and to monitor the balance of PUFA intake during pregnancy and lactation periods.Keywords: Cohort studies / maternal nutrition / breast milk / polyunsaturated fatty acids / psychomotor development Résumé -Exposition précoce aux acides gras polyinsaturés et développement psychomoteur des enfants de la cohorte mère-enfant EDEN. Nombre d'études épidémiologiques ont montré que les enfants allaités au sein bénéfi-ciaient d'un meilleur développement psychomoteur que les enfants non allaités. Des études suggèrent une implication des acides gras polyinsaturés (AGPI) oméga-6 et oméga-3, notamment ceux à longue chaine (AGPI-LC) que l'on trouve en quantité dans le lait maternel, et qui sont nécessaires au développement du cerveau du foetus et du bébé. Notre objectif était d'étudier les relations entre plusieurs mesures d'expositions pré-et postnatales aux AGPI, et le développement psychomoteur à deux et trois ans des enfants de la cohorte EDEN. Ainsi nous avons évalué la durée d'allaitement maternel, la teneur du colostrum en AGPI, et les apports nutritionnels maternels pendant la grossesse, qui ont été ensuite mis en relation, après prise en compte de facteurs de confusion potentiels, à trois scores de développement psychomoteur évalué par questionnaire. psychomoteur. Ni les apports nutritionnels en AGPI-LC pendant la grossesse, ni les teneu...

show abstract

“…The effects of supplementation on visual acuity in term infants has also been shown (Birch et al 2005), but not consistently. In addition, the effects of oral supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy on early childhood development, especially visual, were inconclusive (Gould et al 2013). In a meta-analysis of 12 studies (1949 infants up to 12 months of age), omega-3 supplementation of infant formulas appeared to have possible effects on visual acuity as measured by evoked potential for infants 2 months of age and by behavioral methods at 12 months (Qawasmi et al 2013).…”

Section: Neurological Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Epidemiology to Epigenetics: Evidence for the Importance of Nutrition to Optimal Health Development Across the Life Course

Taylor-Baer

Herman

2017

Handbook of Life Course Health Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The effect of maternal omega-3 (n-3) LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy on early childhood cognitive and visual development: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract: The evidence does not conclusively support or refute that omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation in pregnancy improves cognitive or visual development.

Cited by 192 publications

References 54 publications

Intake of Total Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid Associated with Increased Gestational Length and Improved Cognitive Performance at 1 Year of Age

Intake of Total Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid Associated with Increased Gestational Length and Improved Cognitive Performance at 1 Year of Age

Early life exposure to polyunsaturated fatty acids and psychomotor development in children from the EDEN mother-child cohort

From Epidemiology to Epigenetics: Evidence for the Importance of Nutrition to Optimal Health Development Across the Life Course

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About