DHA Supplementation Improves Mothersâ€™ And Infantsâ€™ DHA Status

DHA Supplementation Improves Mothers And Infants DHA Status

Published by Lois on December 10th, 2008

Women in most western countries consume fish infrequently, if at all, resulting in less DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, in their tissues to provide to their fetus during pregnancy. For this reason, health organizations encourage women to consume fish or fish oil supplements regularly during pregnancy and to obtain at least 200 mg of DHA/day. DHA is one of the key building blocks of the brain and central nervous system and is necessary for brain structure and function. The developing infant relies on the mother for this and other long-chain fatty acids, especially during the last trimester, when there is a large transfer of these fatty acids to the fetus.

Even with abundant fish and long-chain fatty acid consumption, the mother loses DHA at delivery and it takes several weeks or months to restore her tissue stores to pre-pregnancy levels. A team of investigators in Germany examined whether 200 mg of DHA consumed during the last half of pregnancy would affect the DHA status of the mother and infant at delivery. They also looked at the DHA content of the mother’s breast milk at 3 months postpartum. They recruited 144 healthy pregnant women who were carrying a single child and divided them into 3 groups. One was given a vitamin and mineral supplement, the second the same supplement plus a prebiotic for digestive health, and the third group received both supplements plus 200 mg of DHA. After delivery, 80% of the infants were exclusively breast-fed.

All groups increased the DHA content in their red blood cells during the last half of pregnancy as expected, but at 37 weeks’ gestation (about term) and 3 months after delivery, only the DHA-supplemented mothers had significantly higher DHA concentrations. There was no difference between the vitamins and minerals group and those also taking the prebiotic. Three months after delivery, the DHA content of the breast milk from the DHA-supplemented mothers contained significantly higher amounts of DHA compared with the other two groups. In addition, the infants of the DHA-supplemented mothers had significantly more DHA in their red blood cells compared with the other two groups of infants.

Several aspects of this study are worth noting. The first is that German women, like those in much of the U.S., Australia and Europe, consume very little fish, so they obtain no more than 100 mg of DHA/day or less. Providing these women with the recommended amount of 200 mg of DHA daily improved the DHA status of the mother, her infant and the DHA content of her breast milk. This created a win-win situation for the mother and her infant, assuring an adequate supply of DHA for the infant’s neurodevelopment in fetal life and early infancy. The study also showed that vitamin and mineral supplements have no effect on long-chain fatty acid status. Thus, complying with the recent international recommendations for the consumption of 200 mg of DHA/day during pregnancy, especially by women with a tradition of low fish consumption, improves the DHA status of both the mother and infant.

Fats Of Life