Study fish oil in pregnancy lowered asthma risks of newborns

Physicians are studying the health effects of fish oil capsules
Most parents just try everything to boost their newborn's health. This can sometimes have bizarre effects. Researchers have now found that maternal consumption of fish oil within the last three months of pregnancy reduces the risk of asthma or persistent wheezing in offspring.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found in their study that taking dietary supplement capsules with fish oil in the last three months of pregnancy provides improved protection against asthma for the newborn. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The New England Journal of Medicine".

Many children in the world suffer from asthma. Physicians found in their research that intake of fish oil in expectant mothers leads to a reduced risk of asthma in their children. (Image: bubutu / fotolia.com)

Physicians are investigating 695 pregnant women for the study
The current study examined 695 pregnant women. The experts sought to find out if supplementing the diet with fish oil can reduce newborns' risk of asthma.

Effects of ingesting fish oil capsules
Overall, the expectant mothers in the placebo group had a risk of about 23.7 percent of their children suffering from asthma. However, when the pregnant women consumed fish oil capsules daily, the risk dropped to 16.9 percent. That is a reduction of 30.7 percent in the first three years of life, explain the experts.

Children of women with low EPA and DHA levels appear to have the greatest benefit
The real benefit seemed to lie exclusively with the children whose mothers consumed low concentrations of the two main constituents of fish oil, say the experts. These were eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Among Danish women with low EPA and DHA levels, the rate of asthma and wheezing among children reached 17.5 percent.

In recent decades, the asthma rate has more than doubled
One in five young children today is affected by asthma and wheezing, with over the past few decades the rate has more than doubled in Western countries, explain the physicians. Previous studies have already shown that these conditions are more common in babies, if their mothers have low levels of the above values, the researchers add. The new large-scale investigation is the first to analyze whether increased intake of fish oil can actually lower the risk.

Even the consumption of fish can lead to the same benefits
Alternatively, women can simply eat fish to get the same benefits as fish oil supplements, the researchers report. However, you are very keen to eat fish in order to get the same benefit from the diet, said lead author Dr. Hans Bisgaard from the University of Copenhagen. The results must now be tested in other parts of the world, where overall fish consumption is lower, the expert adds.

Side effects must be tested urgently
The administered dose of 2.4 grams was about 15 to 20 times higher than the average US intake of food, say the physicians. Therefore, before these findings can be applied to clinical practice, it is imperative to ensure that this high dose does not adversely affect behavior, cognition, or other long-term outcomes. Bisgaard.

Further research should check the effect of lower doses
Future research should clarify whether lower doses are similarly effective and whether these results can be replicated in other populations as well. It is possible that a lower dose would have been sufficient to achieve the effect, the authors explain.

Fish oil supplement also reduces the risk of lower respiratory tract infections
Fish oil supplementation also reduced the risk of lower respiratory tract infections, with the rate of 39.1 percent in volunteers treated with olive oil placebo being reduced to 31.7 percent in subjects receiving fish oil. The supplements, however, do not seem to affect the risk that babies or toddlers develop for eczema on the skin or an allergic reaction to milk or egg products that can affect a severe asthma attack, the experts explain.

How long did expectant mothers take fish oil capsules?
During the study, women started taking fish oil or olive oil placebo capsules at the 24th week of pregnancy. They continued recording until one week after birth.

Further research is needed
The scientists calculated that 14.6 women would need to be treated to prevent a case of asthma or persistent wheezing. Among women with the lowest initial EPA and DHA levels, only 5.6 women would need to be treated, say the authors. If the results are confirmed in other populations, physicians could test which newborns benefit most from supplementing with fish oil. Unfortunately, the health system is currently not yet geared towards this research, says author Dr. Bisgaard. (As)