Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of premature birth

Although most pregnancies last between 38 and 42 weeks, the earlier the baby is born, the higher the risk of death or poor health.

Premature babies have a greater risk of developing various long-term conditions, including visual impairment, developmental delay, and learning difficulties.

The results showed that an increase in daily intake of long-chain omega-3 reduced the risk of having a premature baby (under 37 weeks) by 11% (from 134 to 1). 000 to 1,000).

It also reduced the risk of having a preterm premature baby (under 34 weeks) by 42% (from 46 per 1,000 to 27 births) as well as a 10% chance of having a small baby .

"There are not many options for preventing premature births, so these new discoveries are very important for pregnant women, babies, and the health professionals who care for them," Philippa Middleton said. , Associate Professor of the Institute of Health Research and Medicine of South Australia (SAHMRI). ).

"We still do not fully understand the causes of premature labor, so it's always difficult to predict and prevent an early birth, which is one of the reasons why omega-3 supplementation is important. during pregnancy is of such great interest to researchers around the world. "

For the study, published in the journal Cochrane Reviews Database, the team reviewed 70 randomized trials involving 19,927 women with low, high, or mixed risk of poor pregnancy.

The optimal dose was a daily supplement containing between 500 and 1,000 milligrams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (containing at least 500 mg of DHA) from 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Premature birth, a crucial global health problem and the leading cause of death for children under five in the world, accounts for nearly one million deaths a year.