DHA supplements in pregnancy? Children will have more ability to pay attention

DHA supplements in pregnancy? Children will have more ability to pay attention

Women who consume 400 milligrams of DHA supplementation daily during pregnancy promote their children's cognitive function and attention span at preschool age. By age 5, in fact, children whose mothers received DHA during gestation show greater concentration, compared with those born to women who did not take supplementation.

This is reported in research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by a team of international researchers and led by Usha Ramakrishnan of Emory University in Atlanta, USA.

DHA: key omega-3 in the nervous system 

The central nervous system is rich in omega-3 and omega-6, particularly DHA and, to a lesser extent, arachidonic acid (AA). DHA plays a very important role in the retina and synapses, where it modulates the synthesis, transport, and release of neurotransmitters. This omega-3 plays a key function in neuronal growth, membrane fluidity, neuronal survival, and is involved in the control of neurodegeneration. 

DHA has been shown to accumulate in areas of the brain involved in memory and attention processes, such as the cerebral cortex and hippocampus; animal studies have also shown that deficiency in the brain of DHA has critical effects on neuronal and behavioral development involving learning, memory, hearing, and smell. Despite the critical role of DHA in brain function, the ability to synthesize DHA is very limited in mammals, and only its consumption through the diet ensures sufficient supply for neuronal function. Scientific evidence has shown that concentrations of DHA and AA influence the neurological development of the fetus during pregnancy. 

And it is especially important during the last trimester that the fetus receives adequate amounts of DHA, because it is at this stage of life that 70% of brain cells are developed. So, maternal consumption of fatty acids during pregnancy determines fatty acid status in infants at birth, just as DHA and AA concentrations in cord blood cells are related to the lipids consumed by the mother. 

It has been suggested that amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids in umbilical cord blood may be associated with cognitive development: low concentrations of polyunsaturated fats in umbilical cord blood appear to be correlated with premature birth, low birth weight, and smaller head circumference of the child. As also reported in this article, published on the blog.

In addition, poor consumption of oily fish, the main source of DHA, by the mother during gestation has been associated with lower cognitive development in early childhood and during adulthood. A number of studies have investigated the relationship between fish consumption during pregnancy and behaviors in children, reporting that toddlers whose mothers had eaten adequate amounts of fatty fish early in gestation had a reduced risk of hyperactivity at age 9, compared with those whose mothers had not consumed it. 

A recent meta-analysis of 9 studies also showed that children with ADHD have lower levels of omega-3, particularly DHA in their blood than controls.

DHA improves attention in 5-year-old children

The study involved more than 1,000 Mexican women, some of whom had received DHA supplements during pregnancy. After 5 years, the researchers assessed the cognitive abilities of the children born to them to relate their development and their mothers' consumption of the supplements. Results showed a significantly higher level of attention in children whose mothers had received DHA supplementation, compared with those born to women who had not consumed the supplements. In contrast, no significant differences were found between the two groups of children for cognitive function and general behavior. 

This result is consistent with findings from studies in animal and biological models linking DHA concentration to prefrontal cortex functions, including reactivity and maintenance of attention. According to scientists, the effects of proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life on cognitive characteristics are often not evident until children start school, a time when behavior is primarily related to the environment. The long-term significance of the present findings on the impact of maternal supplementation with DHA on cognitive and behavioral functioning during the school period remains to be determined. 

Commenting independently on the study results, Harry Rice, vice president of the Organization for EPA and DHA (Goed), noted that although the data are interesting the researchers did not measure DHA concentrations in mothers and children. This would have presented a greater opportunity to confirm the role of omega-3s. 

Considering, in fact, that the prevailing view is that the greatest benefits of supplementation affect individuals with low omega-3 levels, in this study it would have been interesting to know whether offspring born to mothers who had consumed the supplements possessed a higher DHA level, and whether the best results in tests to establish the threshold of attention concerned children with a higher DHA status or not.

Study details

The new study included 1,094 pregnant Mexican women who were randomly assigned either 400 mg of DHA or a placebo from the 18th to 22nd week of pregnancy until the birth of the baby. 

Five years after treatment, researchers assessed cognitive development and behavioral and executive functions, including attention, in 797 infants (82% of 973 live births). These assessments were possible by using specific tests to establish the children's behavioral and cognitive abilities, while also taking into account the quality of the home environment, maternal intelligence, and socioeconomic status.

DHA promotes attention 

The data reported by the research, according to the researchers who conducted it, confirm that prenatal exposure to DHA in supplement form, by mothers may contribute to improved alertness in children, at preschool age. The study, however, did not provide evidence on the effects in older children.

Omegor supplements in pregnancy: maternal VitaDHA

Among the different omega-3 supplements produced by U.G.A. Nutraceuticals, Maternal VitaDHA is particularly suitable for supporting the achievement of the right level of DHA during the periconceptional period, pregnancy and lactation, promoting the health of both mother and baby. In addition to 250 milligrams of DHA this supplement contains 400 milligrams of folic acid in the highly bioavailable form. To stay up-to-date on the latest news from Omega-3 scientific research, sign up for our newsletter. 

Source: U. Ramakrishnan et al "Prenatal supplementation with DHA improves attention at 5 y of age: a randomized controlled trial" American Journal of Clinical Nutrition