03.01.02
Indication: Mental development
Source: Pediatrics 2003 Jan;111(1):e39-44.
Research: In a randomized, double-blind study, researchers examined the effect of supplementing pregnant and lactating women with very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from cod liver oil on mental development of the children, compared with maternal supplementation with long-chain n-6 PUFAs from corn oil. Pregnant women were recruited in week 18 of pregnancy to take 10 ml of cod liver oil or corn oil until three months after delivery. The cod liver oil contained 1183 mg/10 ml docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 803 mg/10 ml eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and a total of 2494 mg/10 ml summation operator very long chain n-3 PUFAs. The corn oil contained 4747 mg/10 ml linoleic acid and 92 mg/10 ml alpha-linolenic acid. A total of 590 pregnant women were recruited to the study and 341 mothers took part in the study until giving birth. All infants of these women were scheduled for assessment of cognitive function at six and nine months of age and 262 complied with the request. As part of the protocol, 135 subjects from this population were invited for intelligence testing with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) at 4 years of age.
Results: Dietary information was received from 76 infants (41 in the cod liver oil group and 35 in the corn oil group), documenting that all of them were breastfed at three months of age. Children who were born to mothers who had taken cod liver oil during pregnancy and lactation scored higher on the Mental Processing Composite of the K-ABC at four years of age as compared with children whose mothers had taken corn oil. The children’s mental processing scores at four years of age correlated significantly with maternal intake of DHA and EPA during pregnancy. In a multiple regression model, maternal intake of DHA during pregnancy was the only variable of statistical significance for the children’s mental processing scores at four years of age.
Source: Pediatrics 2003 Jan;111(1):e39-44.
Research: In a randomized, double-blind study, researchers examined the effect of supplementing pregnant and lactating women with very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from cod liver oil on mental development of the children, compared with maternal supplementation with long-chain n-6 PUFAs from corn oil. Pregnant women were recruited in week 18 of pregnancy to take 10 ml of cod liver oil or corn oil until three months after delivery. The cod liver oil contained 1183 mg/10 ml docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 803 mg/10 ml eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and a total of 2494 mg/10 ml summation operator very long chain n-3 PUFAs. The corn oil contained 4747 mg/10 ml linoleic acid and 92 mg/10 ml alpha-linolenic acid. A total of 590 pregnant women were recruited to the study and 341 mothers took part in the study until giving birth. All infants of these women were scheduled for assessment of cognitive function at six and nine months of age and 262 complied with the request. As part of the protocol, 135 subjects from this population were invited for intelligence testing with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) at 4 years of age.
Results: Dietary information was received from 76 infants (41 in the cod liver oil group and 35 in the corn oil group), documenting that all of them were breastfed at three months of age. Children who were born to mothers who had taken cod liver oil during pregnancy and lactation scored higher on the Mental Processing Composite of the K-ABC at four years of age as compared with children whose mothers had taken corn oil. The children’s mental processing scores at four years of age correlated significantly with maternal intake of DHA and EPA during pregnancy. In a multiple regression model, maternal intake of DHA during pregnancy was the only variable of statistical significance for the children’s mental processing scores at four years of age.