Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. An intake of 2.7 grams of Omega 3 per day during the third trimester of pregnancy may reduce the risk of asthma in the offspring by 63%.
A new study (1) has found that omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil may also help with long-term lung health. Asthma currently affects more than 20 million Americans, including 6.1 million children. It has affected nearly 31 million Americans at least once in their lifetime (2). Asthma is recognized as “a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States”. It is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age. Childhood asthma incurs a cost of $3.2 billion and accounts for 14 million lost school days each year (3).
In the study, 533 women with normal pregnancies were given either 4 grams of fish oil providing 2.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day or placebo. They took the fish oil or placebo starting at week 30 of their pregnancy and continued through the end of their pregnancy. Supplementation was done during this last month of pregnancy because that is the time of pregnancy when lung development is at its peak (4). The infants were then followed up over the course of 16 years and examined for any cases of asthma.
The researchers found that during the 16 years that passed since childbirth, the risk of asthma was reduced by 63%, while the rate of allergic asthma was reduced by 87% in the fish oil compared with the olive oil group. The lower occurrences of asthma in children in the fish oil group “is in line with two retrospective studies (which look backwards and examine exposures to risk factors in relation to an outcome (5)) in 2005 (6) and 2006 (7) as well as three prospective studies (which watch for outcomes, such as the development of a disease, during the study period and relate this to risk factors (5)) in 2007 (8,9,10).
For the researchers, “an increased intake of [fish oil] in the third trimester may confer protection against asthma in the offspring.”
Source: Olsen, Sjurdur F., Marie Louise Østerdal, Jannie Dalby Salvig, Lotte Maxild Mortensen, Dorte Rytter, Niels J. Secher, and Tine Brink Henriksen. “Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in the offspring: 16 y of registry-based follow-up from a randomized controlled trial.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 88, no. 1 (2008): 167-175.
© 2008 American Society for Nutrition
Posted August 25, 2008.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA.
References:
- Olsen SF. Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in the offspring: 16 y of registry-based follow-up from a randomized controlled trial. Am Jou Clin Nutr 2008; 88(1):167-175.
- “Asthma” posted on the American Lung Association Website
- CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Website. “Asthma’s Impact on Children and Adolescents”
- Fetal Development Calendar posted on the Baby Centre website.
- “Prospective vs. Retrospective Studies” posted on the Stats Direct website.
- Salam MT, Li YF, Langholz B, Gilliland FD. Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy and risk of early childhood asthma. J Asthma 2005;42:513–8.
- Calvani M, Alessandri C, Sopo SM, et al. Consumption of fish, butter and margarine during pregnancy and development of allergic sensitizations in the offspring: role of maternal atopy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2006;17:94–102.
- Willers SM, Devereux G, Craig LC, et al. Maternal food consumption during pregnancy and asthma, respiratory and atopic symptoms in 5-year-old children. Thorax 2007;62:773–9.
- Romieu I, Torrent M, Garcia-Esteban R, et al. Maternal fish intake during pregnancy and atopy and asthma in infancy. Clin Exp Allergy 2007;37:518–25.
- Sausenthaler S, Koletzko S, Schaaf B, et al. Maternal diet during pregnancy in relation to eczema and allergic sensitization in the offspring at 2 y of age. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:530–7.
