Pregnant women: only a quarter of them get enough Omega-3s

Pregnancy: only 1/4 of mothers-to-be take enough Omega 3s

Despite being critical for fetal development, only 27 percent of pregnant women show Omega 3 levels that meet current European Union guidance, which recommends an intake of 200 mg of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) per day.

This was discovered by researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada), and published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Omega-3s are essential for fetal health

The intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy and 'breastfeeding is necessary to ensure proper fetal and placental development. In particular, Omega-3s are important for fetal brain and retinal development. The American Dietetic Association recommends intake of at least 500 mg per day of Omega-3s for all healthy adults, including pregnant and lactating women. The European Commission and the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommend that pregnant and lactating women consume at least 200 mg of DHA per day - in addition to the 250mg of EPA+DHA recommended for the general population.

These amounts could be achieved by consuming 1-2 servings per week of omega-3-rich fish. In any case, several studies in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Europe have shown that pregnant and lactating women consume amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids far from the suggested recommendations. This is due to low fish consumption, probably also a consequence of fear of mercury contamination, and limited supplement consumption.

A quarter of pregnant women get enough DHA through supplements

In the present study, researchers estimated the intake of sources of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) and DHA in a group of 600 women, who answered questionnaires on dietary habits and 'supplement use. The results revealed that. about three-fourths of the pregnant and postpartum women did not reach the recommendations for DHA intake. Although unlike most other similar studies, the majority of participants belonged to a high socioeconomic status and 97 percent of them reported consuming multivitamin supplements during pregnancy, only 27 percent were shown to reach the recommended doses during the third trimester of gestation.

In contrast, the vast majority (73 percent during pregnancy and 75 percent postpartum) of women were far from optimal doses. However participants who had taken DHA supplements were 10 times more likely to achieve the recommendations, during gestation and three months postpartum. the data also showed that 44% of women who had taken supplements during pregnancy discontinued their intake after delivery.

Omega-3: benefits even after childbirth

According to the researchers who conducted the study, these results suggest that the majority of the women involved in the research were not reaching the European Union recommendations for DHA consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This also highlights the need for and 'importance of nutritional counseling on the benefits of Omega-3 supplements even after the birth of the baby.

Source: 

Jia X, Pakseresht M, Wattar N, Wildgrube J, Sontag S, Andrews M, Subhan FB, McCargar L, Field CJ; APrON study team. "Women who take n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements during pregnancy and lactation meet the recommended intake." Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2015 May;40(5):474-81. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2014-0313. Epub 2015 Mar 25.

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