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Pregnant women increasing their consumption of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) may reduce the risk of premature labor, according to a new study published in the Cochrane Review.
"We know that premature birth is a critical global health problem, with about 15 million babies born too early every year," said Philippa Middleton, associate professor of Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth and Institute for Research in Childhood. Health and Medicine of South Australia (SAHMRI).
"Although most pregnancies last between 38 and 42 weeks, premature babies are those born before 37 weeks – and the earlier a baby is born, the greater the risk of death or poor health."
Infants born prematurely are at higher risk of having a range of long-term problems, including visual impairment, developmental delay, and learning difficulties.
Middleton and a team of Cochrane researchers have looked closely at long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and their role in reducing the risk of premature labor; especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) present in fatty fish and fish oil supplements.
For the study, they examined 70 randomized trials and found that, in pregnant women, the increase in daily intake of long-chain omega-3:
- reduces the risk of having a premature baby (less than 37 weeks) by 11% (from 134 per 1,000 to 119 per 1,000 births);
- reduced by 42% the risk of having a preterm premature baby (less than 34 weeks) (from 46 per 1,000 to 27 per 1,000 births);
- Reduces the risk of having a small baby (less than 5.5 pounds or 2,500 grams) by 10%.
"Since there are not many options for preventing premature births, these new discoveries are very important for pregnant women, babies, and the health care professionals who care for them," says Middleton.
"We do not yet fully understand the causes of premature labor. Therefore, predicting and preventing premature births has always been a challenge. This is one of the reasons why omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy is of such great interest to researchers around the world. "
This study was initiated for the first time in 2006. At that time, the researchers concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify the routine use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy. More than a decade later, however, this updated review concludes that high-quality evidence exists regarding the use of omega-3 supplementation as an effective strategy for the prevention of prematurity.
"Many pregnant women in the UK are already taking omega-3 supplements by personal choice rather than by the advice of health professionals," Middleton said.
"It should be noted, however, that many supplements currently on the market do not contain the optimal dose or type of omega-3 to prevent premature births. Our review revealed that the optimal dose was a daily supplement containing between 500 and 1000 milligrams (mg) of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (containing at least 500 mg of DHA) from 12 weeks of pregnancy.
"Ultimately, we hope that this review will actually contribute to the database we need to reduce premature births, which remains one of the most urgent and difficult to resolve maternal and child health problems in all countries. country of the world."
Source: Wiley
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