Original researchA randomized trial of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy☆
Section snippets
Materials and methods
This study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled, clinical trial to determine the effects of increasing docosahexaenoic acid intake during the third trimester of pregnancy on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Subjects were supplied with docosahexaenoic acid-enriched eggs (mean of 133 mg of docosahexaenoic acid per egg) or ordinary eggs (mean of 33 mg of docosahexaenoic acid per egg). The primary outcome variables of interest were gestational age and birth weight. Secondary outcomes included
Results
A total of 347 women participated in this study. However, information was collected on 350 pregnancies, as three women were pregnant twice during the enrollment period. In two of these cases, both pregnancies were completed. To maintain independence among the study data, the second pregnancy was excluded from the analysis. An additional 57 pregnancies were not included in the analysis because the subjects were study dropouts (Figure 1). In sum, 291 subjects completed the study and were
Discussion
The current study found a 6-day longer period of gestation when docosahexaenoic acid intake was increased during the last trimester of pregnancy. The mechanism of action is not known, but it is plausible that dietary docosahexaenoic acid could increase gestational age by several mechanisms. Prostaglandins E2 and F2α are required for labor and delivery.22, 23 These two-series prostaglandins are derived from the n-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid, whereas the less potent
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Mary Van Elswyk, Deanna McCarthy, and OmegaTech Inc. for support of this study, and to Nadene Hausmann of AQUAL Clinical Research Services Inc., whose outstanding organizational skills and oversight were invaluable to the study team. Minati Dhar and Amanda Schraegle provided excellent technical help. The authors also thank the faculty and staff of Truman Medical Center for assisting on many occasions.
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2020, Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty AcidsEfficacy of n-3 fatty acids supplementation on the prevention of pregnancy induced-hypertension or preeclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2020, Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyCitation Excerpt :In 13 studies, the supplements were DHA + EPA. Four trials provided DHA alone [19,20,32,33], and one study prescribed EPA alone [26]. Also, in one trial, women received DHA, EPA, and GLA [29].
Relationships between docosahexaenoic acid compositions of maternal and umbilical cord erythrocytes in pregnant Japanese women
2019, Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty AcidsCitation Excerpt :This paper showed that DHA compositions of maternal and umbilical cord blood erythrocytes were positively correlated, but the correlation coefficient was 0.372, which was interpreted as “a weak positive linear relationship”. Previous studies have also observed correlations between DHA levels in maternal and umbilical cord erythrocytes in the range of 0.3–0.6 [9,10,15,16]. While these differences between the studies were not large, the observed correlation in the present study was lower.
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CMS is currently affiliated with the Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, South Africa.
This work was carried out at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, and the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri.