Visual-acuity development in healthy preterm infants: effect of marine-oil supplementation.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) is important for normal visual development. We hypothesized that preterm infants fed formulas with marine oil as a source of DHA would have better visual acuity than infants fed formulas without marine oil, as measured by the Teller Acuity Card procedure. Marine oil (P < 0.001) and age (P < 0.0001) influenced visual acuity, by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) corrected for the effect of subject. Marine-oil-supplemented infants had better visual acuity than those fed standard formulas at 2 and 4 mo of age, by Fishers' least-squares difference (LSD). Acuity of both dietary groups improved through 6.5 mo of age, then plateaued. Through 4 mo of age, acuity was inversely related to oxygen supplementation (log10 h) and positively related to DHA status, by general-linear-models (GLM) analysis. After 4 mo of age, birth weight and gestational age were the only variables consistently related to visual acuity by GLM. We conclude that marine-oil-supplemented formula improved visual acuity of preterm infants through 4 mo of age by improving DHA status.
Carlson
S E
SE
Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee, Memphis.
Werkman
S H
SH
Rhodes
P G
PG
Tolley
E A
EA
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008042:Linolenic Acids / Q000097:blood; D014792:Visual Acuity
D005395:Fish Oils; D008042:Linolenic Acids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids