The following is a summary of “Supplementation With Fish Oil in Pregnancy Reduces Gastroenteritis in Early Childhood,” published in the 1 February 2023 issue of Infectious Diseases by Horner, et al.
Insufficient consumption of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs) from fish oil during pregnancy, according to the hypothesis, may be a contributing cause of gastroenteritis in young children. For a study, researchers sought to determine how n-3 LCPUFA supplementation affected gastroenteritis symptoms in the first three years of life for children.
From week 24 of pregnancy to one week after delivery, 736 mothers were randomly assigned to receive n-3 LCPUFA or a control group in the double-blinded, randomized controlled experiment. The duration of the illness, the frequency of episodes, and the likelihood that an episode will occur within the first three years of life were all counted.
The median reduction in gastroenteritis days was 2.5 (P =.018), which translates to a 14% decrease in the n-3 LCPUFA group as compared to controls in the first three years of life (P =.037). There was also a decrease in the frequency of gastroenteritis episodes (P =.027) and a decreased chance of experiencing an episode (hazard ratio, 0.80 [95% confidence interval, .66–.97]; P = .023).
The number of days and bouts of gastroenteritis in the first three years of life decreased as a result of fish oil supplementation starting in the 24th week of pregnancy. The research points to n-3 LCPUFA supplementation as an early infancy gastrointestinal illness prevention strategy.
Reference: academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/227/3/448/6470393?redirectedFrom=fulltext