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Essential fatty acid status in neonates after fish-oil supplementation during late pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Adriana C. Van Houwelingen ,
Janny Dalby Søsrensen ,
Gerard Hornstra ,
Marianne M. G. Simonis ,
Jane Boris ,
Sjurdur F. Olsen  and
Niels J. Secher
Adriana C. Van Houwelingen
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Janny Dalby Søsrensen
Affiliation:
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Gerard Hornstra
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Marianne M. G. Simonis
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Jane Boris
Affiliation:
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Sjurdur F. Olsen
Affiliation:
Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Niels J. Secher
Affiliation:
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Aarhus, Denmark
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Abstract

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Healthy pregnant women (n 23) were supplemented with fish-oil capsules (2·7 g n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids/d) from the 30th week of gestation until delivery. Subjects in a control group were either supplemented with olive-oil capsules (4 g/d, n 6) or received no supplementation (n 10). Fatty acid compositions of the phospholipids isolated from umbilical plasma and umbilical arterial and venous vessel walls were determined. Fatty acid compositions of maternal venous plasma phospholipids were determined as well. Maternal plasma phospholipids of the fish-oil-supplemented group contained more n-3 fatty acids and less n-6 fatty acids. Moreover, the amounts of the essential fatty acid deficiency markers Mead acid (20:3n-9) and Osbond acid (22:5n-6) were significantly lower. The extra amount of n-3 fatty acids consumed by the mothers resulted in higher contents of n-3 fatty acids, and of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) in particular, in the phospholipids of umbilical plasma and vessel walls. It is, indeed, possible to interfere with the docosahexaenoic acid status at birth: children born to mothers supplemented with fish oil in the last trimester of pregnancy start with a better docosahexaenoic acid status at birth, which may be beneficial to neonatal neurodevelopment.

Keywords

Fatty acidsPhospholipidsNeonatesFish oil
Type
Fish oil and EFA status in neonates
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 74 , Issue 5 , November 1995 , pp. 723 - 731
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1995

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