The following is a summary of “Fish Oil And/Or Probiotics Intervention in Overweight/Obese Pregnant Women and Overweight Risk in 24-Month-Old Children,” published in the February 2023 issue of Gastroenterology and Nutrition by Saros, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to determine whether giving pregnant overweight or obese women fish oil and/or probiotics would affect their children’s propensity to become overweight and change their body fat percentage.

Fish oil + placebo, probiotics + placebo, probiotics + fish oil, and placebo + placebo (fish oil: 1.9 g docosahexaenoic acid and 0.22 g eicosapentaenoic acid, probiotics: Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420, 10¹⁰ colony-forming units each) were the 4 intervention groups that were double-blind and randomized to receive the women (n = 439). Early pregnancy through six months after delivery was covered by the intervention. As a secondary endpoint of the research, the growth statistics of children (n = 330) were assessed at birth, 3, 6, and 12 months of age, and compared to Finnish growth charts. Using air displacement plethysmography, the body fat percentage was calculated (24 months). Data analysis techniques included general linear models and logistic regression.

Placebo + probiotics [weight-for-height% adj. Odds ratio (OR) = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.14-0 .95] Probiotics +fish oil [weight-for-age standard deviation score (SD-score) adj. OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.07–0.71] had a decreased risk of being overweight in 24-month-old children than placebo plus placebo. Probiotics’ primary effect (combined probiotics+placebo and probiotics+fish oil)—lower odds of being overweight (weight-for-height% adj. OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.25–0.95 and weight-for-age SD-score adj. OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.20–0.88) compared to non-probiotics—was estimated. Probiotics + fish oil, as well as fish oil alone, had no primary benefit. No change in body fat percentage resulted from the intervention.

Probiotics administered alone or in conjunction with fish oil to pregnant overweight or obese women reduced the likelihood that their 24-month-old offspring would be overweight.

Reference: journals.lww.com/jpgn/Fulltext/2023/02000/Fish_Oil_And_Or_Probiotics_Intervention_in.20.aspx