Supplementation with 200 mg/day docosahexaenoic acid from mid-pregnancy through lactation improves the docosahexaenoic acid status of mothers with a habitually low fish intake and of their infants.
OBJECTIVE
The supply of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6omega-3), important for fetal/infant neurodevelopment, depends on the maternal fatty acid (FA) status, which may be marginal in central Europe. Therefore, we investigated the effect of a daily vitamin/mineral supplement with and without 200 mg DHA from mid-pregnancy through lactation on the DHA concentrations in maternal and infant red blood cell phospholipids (RBC%), and in breast milk FA (%).


METHODS
At 21 weeks' gestation, 144 women were enrolled into a randomised, double-blind clinical trial receiving daily: (1) a basic vitamin-mineral supplement (Vit/Min group), (2) Vit/Min plus 4.5 g fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS group), or (3) Vit/Min plus 4.5 g FOS plus 200 mg fish oil-derived DHA (DHA-FOS group). FAs were determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography.


RESULTS
While maternal RBC-DHA% at enrolment was not different, at 37 weeks gestation, and 3 months after delivery RBC-DHA% were significantly higher in the DHA-FOS group. The breast milk DHA% was twice as high in the DHA-FOS group (0.50%) than in the two others (0.25 %) (p < 0.001), and the ratio ARA/DHA in the DHA-FOS group was 1.0 +/- 0.43, in the others 2.1 +/- 0.43 (p < 0.001). The RBC-DHA% of the infants in the DHA-FOS group was also significantly higher, and correlated significantly with maternal RBC-DHA% before and 3 months after delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
In central Europe, a dose of 200 mg/day DHA from mid-pregnancy through lactation seems appropriate to improve the DHA status of mothers and infants.
Bergmann
Renate L
RL
Department of Obstetrics, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. renate.bergmann@charite.de
Haschke-Becher
Elisabeth
E
Klassen-Wigger
Petra
P
Bergmann
Karl E
KE
Richter
Rolf
R
Dudenhausen
Joachim W
JW
Grathwohl
Dominik
D
Haschke
Ferdinand
F
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001604:Berlin; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood*; D008460:Meat; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry; D008903:Minerals; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008903:Minerals; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D014815:Vitamins; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids