The effect of perinatal fish oil supplementation on neurodevelopment and growth of infants: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Based on the results, perinatal fish oil supplementation is beneficial for the communication domain of neurodevelopment of 4-month-old infants. The study results relating to the supplementation effect on other domains are inconclusive. There ought to be further studies with up-to-date lipidomic analysis to find biochemical correlate compared to an intervention and developmental finding.

The Influence of DHA on Language Development: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of DHA Supplementation in Pregnancy, the Neonatal Period, and Infancy

“…The trials and follow-up results were published between 1998 and 2020 and were predominantly conducted in high-income countries (the United States of America (USA), Australia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy), with three in low- or middle-income countries (Iran, Mexico, and Ethiopia) [ 26 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. English [ 54 ] Andrew, 2018 #3268; Devlin, 2017 #3272; Carlson, 2013 #3273; Colombo, 2019 #3067; O’Connor, 2001 #37; Fewtrell, 2002 #2761; Fewtrell, 2004 #2762; Isaacs, 2011 #507; Makrides, 2009 #33; Smithers, 2010 #825; Collins, 2015 #1693; Keim, 2018 #3110; Miller, 2016 #3111; Keenan, 2014 #2391; Keenan, 2016 #2389; Mulder, 2014 #2400; Mulder, 2018 #2916; Dunstan, 2008 #62; Meldrum, 2015 #1775; Makrides, 2010 #415; Makrides, 2014 #1564; Gould, 2017 #2559; Jensen, 2005 #3128; Jensen, 2010 #642; Meldrum, 2012 #3127; Scott, 1998 #146; Auestad, 2001 #2295; Auestad, 2003 #25; Birch, 2000 #116; Birch, 2007 #3115; Lucas, 1999 #3130; Willatts, 2013 #2402; Colombo, 2013 #2291; Drover, 2011 #2293; Drover, 2012 #680}, Swedish [ 55 ], Danish [ 32 ], Norweigen [ 56 , 57 ], German [ 58 ], Farsi [ 26 ], Spanish [ 51 , 52 ], Dutch [ 59 , 60 ], Flemish [ 61 ], and Italian [ 61 ] were the languages spoken. Most children participating in the trials were from singleton pregnancies although some included twin [ 54 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ] and triplet [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ] pregnancies.…”

“…Ten RCTs have investigated the effect of maternal prenatal supplementation in n = 4894 infants [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 51 , 52 , 58 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 ]. Some trials included exclusively term infants in their follow-ups [ 27 , 28 , 55 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 83 ] whereas one RCT specifically included preterm as well as term infants [ 25 , 77 , 78 ], as shown in Table 1 .…”

“…Mothers took capsules with DHA doses of 120 [ 26 ], 300 [ 83 ], 400 [ 27 , 28 , 51 , 52 ], 450 [ 81 , 82 ], 600 [ 79 , 80 ], 800 [ 25 , 77 , 78 ], 1020 [ 58 ], 1100 [ 55 ], and 2200 [ 75 , 76 ] mg per day. Trials generally examined the effect of DHA in combination with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).…”

“…Cochrane reviews and meta-analyses of these RCTs have revealed mixed and predominantly null effects of DHA interventions on brain development [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. RCTs have predominantly evaluated brain development through assessments of cognition, however evidence is emerging to suggest that language may be a specific domain of brain development sensitive to early DHA exposure [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Nutritional Factors in Fetal and Infant Brain Development

“…Recent reports are mixed. For example, in an RCT designed to supplement women pre-and postnatally with fish oil or a placebo, an effect was reported in communicative abilities at 4 months of age [82]. Conversely, DHA status at 9 months of age has been reported to be inversely related to communicative abilities at 3 years of age in females [83].…”