Fish Oil During Pregnancy Improves Infant Eye and Brain Health

by | Jul 2, 2008 | 2008, Fish Oil Supplements, Infant and Children's Health, Pregnancy and Lactation, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A study of 109 pregnant mothers revealed that those who took DHA during pregnancy had infants with 30 % higher visual and coordination scores, 9% higher intelligence scores, and 5% higher mental and motor developement scores.

Although fish oil has been found to help with blood pressure in infants (1), the fish oil fat called DHA is the primary fat found in the brain (2). Because it is very difficult for the mother to produce her own DHA for the baby until four months after birth (3), supplementing fish oil during pregnancy may be crucial to brain health in the unborn child. Research has shown that taking fish oil during pregnancy can help eye-hand coordination in infants (4). Building on these findings, a new study (5) has shown that taking fish oil during pregnancy can help brain and eye development in infants.

The study included 109 pregnant mothers participating in the Environmental Contaminants and Child Development Study in Quebec from 1995-2001 (6).  They provided umbilical cord and breast milk samples after the birth of their baby, and also provided information about diet and lifestyle. At six months of age, the infants underwent the Teller Visual Acuity Card Test (7) and the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII) (8). At 11 months of age, they underwent the FTII and mental and psychomotor indices of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II).

In addition to finding higher levels of DHA in the umbilical cords versus breast milk (revealing the strong dependence by the fetus on the mother for adequate DHA intake), the length of pregnancy was increased by more than four days when umbilical cord levels of DHA reached 3% of the total fatty acid levels.  Unfortunately, no data on maternal intake of DHA was assessed; only measurements from the umbilical cord and breast milk were given.

Regarding infant coordination, higher DHA cord levels resulted in higher visual and coordination scores (30% higher visual acuity, 9% higher FTII scores, and 5% higher mental development scores) at 6 months, but not at 11 months. These results led the researchers to conclude that “The association of higher cord DHA concentration with more optimal visual, cognitive, and motor development is consistent with the need for substantial increases in [DHA] during the third trimester spurt of [brain development] and [eye] development.

Source: Jacobson, Joseph L., Sandra W. Jacobson, Gina Muckle, Melissa Kaplan-Estrin, Pierre Ayotte, and Eric Dewailly. “Beneficial effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid on infant development: evidence from the Inuit of Arctic Quebec.” The Journal of pediatrics 152, no. 3 (2008): 356-364.

© 2008 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted July 2, 2008.

References:

  1. Damsgaard CT.  Fish Oil Affects Blood Pressure and the Plasma Lipid Profile in Healthy  Danish Infants.  J. Nutr. 2006;136 94-99
  2. Helland IB, Saugstad OD, Smith L, Saarem K, Solvoll K, Ganes T, et al. Similar effects on infants of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids supplementation to pregnant and lactating women. Pediatrics 2001;108:E82.
  3. Makrides M, Neumann M, Simmer K, Pater J, Gibson R. Are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids essential nutrients in infancy? Lancet 1995;345:1463-8.
  4. Dunstan JA.  Cognitive assessment of children at age 2K years after maternal fish oil supplementation in pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial.  Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.099085
  5. Jacobson JL.  Beneficial Effects of a Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid on Infant Development: Evidence from the Inuit of Arctic Quebec.  Jou Ped 2008; 152: 356-364.e1
  6. Muckle G, Ayotte P, Dewailly E, Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL. Prenatal exposure of the Northern Quebec Inuit infants to environmental contaminants. Environ Health Perspect 2001;109:1291-9.
  7. Teller DY, McDonald M, Preston K, Sebris SL, Dobson V. Assessment of visual acuity in infants and children: the acuity card procedure. Dev Med Child Neurol 1986;28:779-89.
  8. Fagan JF, Singer LT. Infant recognition memory as a measure of intelligence. In:Lipsitt LP, Rovee-Collier CK, editors.  Advances in infancy research. Norwood, NJ:Ablex; 1983. p. 31-78.