Maternal Supplementation With Fatty Acids During
Pregnancy and Lactation Augments Children's IQ
In Norway a group of investigators
administered supplementary essential fatty acids to 341 expectant mothers. The
children's mental scores at 4 years of age correlated significantly with maternal
intake of EPA and DHA during pregnancy.
Previous
studies of these same investigators have already shown how cerebral maturation
of the newborn is dependent of concentrations of mothers' fatty acids - particularly
DHA (docosahexaenoic
acid) and AA (arachidonic acid). These essential fatty acids seem to influence
child's cognitive development, visual acuity and sleep maturity. The third trimester
of pregnancy is marked by a rapid increase in brain growth, with greater dependencies
on supplies of DHA and AA. This dependency continues throughout the first postnatal
months, and therefore maternal intake of these fatty acids are crucial during
pregnancy and lactation.
A mothers' DHA and AA levels are dependent on her dietary intake before and
during this period, and so to ensure sufficient levels of these fatty acids, supplementation
may be an option.
The study was randomised and double-blinded with one
treatment group taking 10 ml of cod liver oil, and a control group on a placebo
corn oil supplement. The cod liver oil contained 1.18 grams of DHA and 0.80 grams
of EPA. The placebo contained 4.75 grams of LA, and 0.09 grams of ALA, but both
oils contained the same amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.
Expectant mothers should take essential
fatty acid supplements
A total
of 341 pregnant women were recruited at the 18th week of pregnancy, and completed
the course of supplementation up to childbirth. Of these, the infants of 262 mothers
completed an assessment of cognitive function at 6 and 9 months of age, and 84
were assessed again at 4 years of age on an assessment of general ability (Kaufman
Assessment Battery for Children).
From this assessment a 'mental processing
composite' score was derived which reflects the child's style of problem solving
and information processing. Of the smaller sample of mothers who completed the
full course of the trial, the infants from the 'active' group (whose mothers took
the cod liver oil) (n = 48) scored higher on the representative IQ score, compared
to the control group. In addition, maternal intake of DHA and EPA during pregnancy
significantly correlated with infant's mental processing scores at 4 years.
The
study therefore concludes that supplementation with omega-3 highly-unsaturated
fatty acids (HUFAs) during pregnancy, "may be favourable for later mental
development of children".
Helland
IB , Smith L, Saarem K, et al. Maternal Supplementation With Very-Long-Chain n-3
Fatty Acids During Pregnancy and Lactation Augments Children's IQ at 4 Years of
Age. Pediatrics 2003; 111 (1) e39-e44 [PubMed]
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