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Randomized controlled trial of fish oil supplementation in pregnancy on childhood allergies
Author(s) -
Palmer D. J.,
Sullivan T.,
Gold M. S.,
Prescott S. L.,
Heddle R.,
Gibson R. A.,
Makrides M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/all.12233
Subject(s) - medicine , fish oil , allergy , pregnancy , randomized controlled trial , gestation , disease , polyunsaturated fatty acid , sensitization , docosahexaenoic acid , immunoglobulin e , relative risk , pediatrics , immunology , confidence interval , fatty acid , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , biochemistry , genetics , antibody , fishery
Background Diets high in n‐3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids ( LCPUFA ) may modulate the development of I g E ‐mediated allergic disease and have been proposed as a possible allergy prevention strategy. The aim of this study was to determine whether n‐3 LCPUFA supplementation of pregnant women reduces I g E ‐mediated allergic disease in their children. Methods Follow‐up of children ( n = 706) at hereditary risk of allergic disease in the D ocosahexaenoic A cid to O ptimise M other I nfant O utcome randomized controlled trial. The intervention group ( n = 368) was randomly allocated to receive fish oil capsules (providing 900 mg of n‐3 LCPUFA daily) from 21 weeks' gestation until birth; the control group ( n = 338) received matched vegetable oil capsules without n‐3 LCPUFA . The diagnosis of allergic disease was made during medical assessments at 1 and 3 years of age. Results No differences were seen in the overall percentage of children with I g E ‐mediated allergic disease in the first 3 years of life between the n‐3 LCPUFA and control groups (64/368 (17.3%) vs 76/338 (22.6%); adjusted relative risk 0.78; 95% CI 0.58–1.06; P = 0.11). Eczema was the most common allergic disease; 13.8% of children in the n‐3 LCPUFA group had eczema with sensitization compared with 19.0% in the control group (adjusted relative risk 0.75; 95% CI 0.53–1.05; P = 0.10). Conclusions Overall, n‐3 LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy did not significantly reduce IgE‐associated allergic disease in the first 3 years of life. Further studies should examine whether the nonsignificant reductions in IgE‐associated allergies are of clinical and public health significance.