title: Fish oil-supplementation from 9 to 12 months of age affects infant attention in a free-play test and is related to change in blood pressure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This intervention examined whether fish-oil-supplementation in late infancy modifies free-play test scores and if this is related to blood pressure (BP) and mean RR interval.
  
  
  METHODS
  83 Danish 9-month-old infants were randomized to ±fish oil (FO) (3.4±1.1mL/d) for 3months and 61 of these completed the free-play-test before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the free-play scores changed during the intervention, but the intervention affected only the number of looks away from the toy, which was increased in +FO and decreased in -FO (p=0.037). The increased numbers of looks away were associated with an increase in erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic acid (r=0.401, p=0.017, n=35) and were also associated with a decrease in systolic-BP (r=-0.511, p<0.001, n=52).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that n-3 fatty acid intake also in late infancy can influence brain development and that the cognitive and cardiovascular effects may be related.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Harbild
authors.forename: L B S
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Harsløf
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Kannass
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lauritzen
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests
chemical_list: D005395:Fish Oils
keywords: ANS; BP; CNS; Central nervous function; Cognitive development; DHA; Docosahexaenoic acid; ECG; EPA; FA%; FO; HR; Infant diet; LCPUFA; RBC; autonomic nervous system; blood pressure (systolic SBP & diastolic DBP); central nervous system; docosahexaenoic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid; electro-cardiogram; fatty acids given as area percentage; fish oil; heart rate; long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid; n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids; red blood cell