Omega-3s in gestation reduce risk of eczema and egg allergies in children
Omega 3 pregnancy: less risk of eczema and egg allergy in children
Taking Omega 3 during gestation reduces the risk of children developing eczema or egg allergies by 38 percent and 50 percent, respectively. This was demonstrated by a group of researchers led by Maria Makrides of the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute in Adelaide, Australia. The results of their research-which, to date, is the largest clinical study ever conducted on the effects of Omega-3 intake during pregnancy-were published in the British Medical Journal.
Help for mom and baby
Omega-3 fatty acids are important right from gestation, a period during which they perform important functions for both the health of the mother and the unborn child. In fact, these nutrients help maintain blood pressure values within the normal range, reducing the risk of complications for mothers and babies. In addition, their action promotes proper blood flow to the placenta, facilitating oxygen and nutrient exchanges, and reduces the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and postpartum depression. Regarding children more specifically, proper Omega-3 intake during gestation allows for proper development of nerve structures and reduces the incidence of certain diseases-for example, asthma-after birth. And if prevention begins in the "belly," several studies have shown that these fatty acids are also useful during childhood. In fact, at this stage of life, Omega-3s have been shown to be effective, for example, in reducing inflammation and symptoms of atopic dermatitis and improving the intellectual function of children with cognitive disorders.
Atopic eczema and egg allergy: omega-3s reduce their incidence
The Australian study added a new detail to the picture of the benefits associated with Omega-3 intake during gestation. The analysis conducted by Makrides and colleagues was based on data from more than 700 women collected during the DOMInO (DHA to Optimise Mother and Infant Outcome) trial. During this study, pregnant women were asked to take either 3 capsules a day of fish oil-corresponding to a daily dose of 900 mg of Omega-3s-or a vegetable oil free of these nutrients from the twenty-first week of gestation. The researchers, then, evaluated the incidence of allergies -- in particular, eczema and food allergies -- in children born from these pregnancies at the age of one year. They found that Omega-3 intake by expectant mothers reduced the percentage of children suffering from atopic eczema or egg allergies at age 1 by 38 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
Omega-3, new weapon against allergies
According to Makrides, this clinical study shows that women with allergies could reduce the likelihood of their babies developing atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis in the first year of life by taking about 1 gram of fish oil during the second half of gestation. More generally, the results obtained by Australian scientists confirm theimportance of Omega-3s for proper immune system development.
