title: Impaired fetal growth and arterial wall thickening: a randomized trial of ω-3 supplementation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impaired fetal growth is an independent cardiovascular risk factor and is associated with arterial wall thickening in children. No preventive strategy has been identified. We sought to determine whether dietary ω-3 fatty acid supplementation during early childhood prevents the association between impaired fetal growth and carotid arterial wall thickening.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Childhood Asthma Prevention Study was a randomized, controlled single-blind trial in 616 children born at term, recruited antenatally from maternity hospitals in Sydney. Participants were randomized to either a 500-mg-daily fish oil supplement and canola-based margarines and cooking oil (ω-3 group), or a 500-mg-daily sunflower oil supplement and ω-6 fatty acid-rich margarines and cooking oil (control group), from the start of bottle-feeding or 6 months of age until 5 years of age. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a noninvasive measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, was the primary endpoint of a cardiovascular substudy (CardioCAPS) at age 8 years. We examined the association of fetal growth with carotid IMT in children with birth weight <90th percentile (ω-3 group [n = 187], control group [n = 176]).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the control group, fetal growth was inversely associated with carotid IMT, but this was prevented in the ω-3 group (difference between groups of 0.041 mm [95% confidence interval 0.006, 0.075] per kg birth weight, adjusted for gestational age and gender, P(heterogeneity) = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inverse association of fetal growth with arterial wall thickness in childhood can be prevented by dietary ω-3 fatty acid supplementation over the first 5 years of life.
authors.affiliation: Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. michael.skilton@sydney.edu.au
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Skilton
authors.forename: Julian G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ayer
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Harmer
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Leeder
authors.forename: Guy B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Celermajer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001315:Australia; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils