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10.13.06
Indication:
Infant visual acuity
Source:
Congress for the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), Cairns, Australia-July 2006
Research:
In this double-blind, randomized study, 100 pregnant women received a daily placebo (control) or 400 mg supplemental DHA (docosahex-aenoic acid) for 16 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. Blood measurements and subsequent breast milk levels of DHA were analyzed in conjunction with visual acuity assessments in their babies.
Results:
Women receiving DHA supplementation showed much higher levels of measured DHA in their blood samples and in their breast milk fat at 30 days post-partum (33% of fat as compared to only 19% in controls). Visual acuity in infants as measured at two months of age was positively associated with maternal DHA status at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Further, the infants from mothers with lower intakes of DHA (approximately 80 mg or less per day) during pregnancy, common on usual westernized diets, exhibited a significantly greater risk of having a lesser visual acuity.