Omega-3 fatty acids effective for prevention of premature birth

Increased intake of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) during pregnancy reduces the risk of preterm birth (before 37 weeks) and very preterm birth (before 34 weeks), finds a new Cochrane Review.

Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under 5 years old worldwide, accounting for close to one million deaths annually. Premature babies are at higher risk of a range of long-term conditions including visual impairment, developmental delay, and learning difficulties.

Philippa Middleton, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia, and colleagues aimed to assess the effects of omega‐3 LCPUFA, as supplements or as dietary additions, during pregnancy on maternal, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes and longer‐term outcomes for mother and child.

"We know premature birth is a critical global health issue, with an estimated 15 million babies born too early each year," explains Middleton.

"While the length of most pregnancies is between 38 and 42 weeks, premature babies are those born before the 37-week mark – and the earlier a baby is born, the greater the risk of death or poor health."

For the study, the researchers looked at 70 randomized trials and found that for pregnant women, increasing the daily intake of long-chain omega-3s:

• lowers the risk of having a premature baby (less than 37 weeks) by 11% (from 134 per 1000 to 119 per 1000 births


• lowers the risk of having an early premature baby (less than 34 weeks) by 42% (from 46 per 1000 to 27 per 1000 births)


• reduces the risk of having a small baby (less than 2500g) by 10%.

"There are not many options for preventing premature birth, so these findings are very important for pregnant women, babies and the health professionals who care for them," Philippa says. "We don’t yet fully understand the causes of premature labor, so predicting and preventing early birth has always been a challenge. This is one of the reasons omega-3 supplementation in pregnancy is of such great interest to researchers around the world."

The present study is an update of a review that was first published in 2006. The review of 2006 had concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to support the routine use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy. Over a decades later, this updated review concludes that there is a high-quality evidence that omega-3 supplementation is an effective strategy for the prevention of preterm birth.

"Many pregnant women around the world are already taking omega-3 supplements by personal choice rather than as a result of advice from health professionals,’ Philippa says. ‘It’s worth noting though that many supplements currently on the market don’t contain the optimal dose or type of omega-3 for preventing premature birth. Our review found the optimum dose was a daily supplement containing between 500 and 1000 milligrams (mg) of long-chain omega-3 fats (containing at least 500mg of DHA) starting at 12 weeks of pregnancy."

"Ultimately we hope this review will make a real contribution to the evidence base we need to reduce premature births, which continue to be one of the most pressing and intractable maternal and child health problems in every country around the world."

For further reference follow the link: 10.1002/14651858.CD003402.pub3