Fish oil.

Nutraceutical: Fish oil

Indication: Pregnancy (benefits in children)

Source: Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. December 21, 2006; Epub ahead of print.

Research: The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of antenatal omega 3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC PUFA) on cognitive development in a cohort of children whose mothers received high dose fish oil in pregnancy. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 98% of women received fish oil supplements from 20 weeks gestation through delivery. Their infants (n=72) were a-ssessed at 2 1/2 years of age. The women were given fish oil (2.2 grams docosahexaenoic acid-DHA, plus 1.1 grams eicosapentaenoic acid-EPA) or olive oil from 20 weeks gestation through delivery. Re-searchers set out to determine effects on infant growth and developmental quotients (Griffiths Mental Development Scales), receptive language (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and behavior (Child Behavior Checklist).

Results: Children in the fish oil supplemented group (n=33) attained a significantly higher score for eye-hand coordination compared to the placebo group (n=39). Eye-hand coordination scores correlated with n-3 PUFA levels in cord blood erythrocytes and inversely correlated with n-6 PUFA. Growth measurements in the two groups were similar at 2 1/2 years of age. Investigators believe maternal fish oil supplementation during pregnancy is safe for the fetus and infant, and may have potentially beneficial effects on the child's eye and hand coordination. However, they say further studies are needed to determine the significance of this finding.