A newly-published NIH-funded study made the case that pregnant women, especially in the latter half of pregnancy, should be consuming much more of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA than what is considered a standard dose, the National Institutes of Health announced.
 
Several meta-analyses have proposed with mixed evidence that low DHA levels could be a predictive factor in assessing the risk that a pregnant woman has of experiencing early preterm birth (EPB), with researchers drawing mixed evidence regarding EPB rates in association with DHA consumed as a supplement, and in populations with limited seafood consumption.
 
The study concluded that women taking 1,000 mg of docosohexaenoic acid (DHA) daily in the last half of pregnancy had a significantly lower rate of early preterm birth than women who took a more standard 200 mg dose. Women who entered the study with the lowest DHA level at baseline also experienced more significant reductions in early preterm birth following supplementation. Preterm birth is considered to be before 34 weeks of pregnancy, a time at which point there is a risk of infant death and disability.
 
The study was conducted by Susan E. Carlson, PhD, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and appears in EClinicalMedicine.
 
The study drew upon mixed data which suggests that there is inconclusive evidence regarding the role that DHA may play in supporting healthy pregnancies, with DHA sourced from fish, eggs, and supplements such as algal oil used. The studies have also not consistently used a specific dosage of omega-3 fatty acids.
 
In the present study, 1,100 women were enrolled to take either a high dose of 1,000 mg of DHA or a standard 200 mg dose daily throughout the course of their pregnancy. Overall, 1.7% of women in the high-dose group delivered early preterm compared to 2.4% in the standard dose group. Women in the high dose group with low DHA levels at baseline saw the greatest reduction in early preterm birth (2% rate), compared to the reductions seen in low-DHA women who took a standard dose (4.1%).
 
Among women who had high DHA levels at study entry, the rate of early preterm birth was low and didn’t differ by dose (1.4% vs. 1.1%), meaning that either dosage was just as beneficial.
 
Based on the results of the study, the authors said that screening DHA levels in pregnancy could help reduce rates of early preterm birth in women who have low levels and might benefit from a higher daily dose.