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Fish oil supplement reduces risk of infant eczema in clinical trial, says BMJ
Summary: A randomised, multi-centred, double-blind placebo controlled trial, published in the British
Medical Journal, on the reduced risk of allergies in children of pregnant women supplemented with
Efalex® Mother & Baby
Attached: (1) British Medical Journal paper, and (2) Trial summary paper
Issued: London, UK, 25/01/2012
The largest ever clinical study to provide omega-3 supplements to pregnant women, published in the
British Medical Journal (00:00 Tuesday 31st January 2012), has demonstrated remarkable effects with
respect to eczema and allergy in their babies including having:
- 36% less risk of developing eczema[1], a condition which affects up to a fifth of children in the
UK[2]
- 38% less chance of being sensitised to egg allergy
- 50% less chance of having egg allergy
These findings add significant support to two previous studies showing babies of mothers supplemented
with Omega-3 when pregnant were 7.5 times less likely to develop food allergies[3] and 3 times less likely
to develop eczema[4].
The multi-centred, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the largest of its kind to date
tested a new product, Efalex® Mother & Baby, now available from Efamol Ltd. It was supported by a grant
from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and was conducted in 5 Australian
maternity hospitals on 2,399 women with singleton pregnancies of which 706 were assessed for allergy.
Head Researcher and Professor of Human Nutrition, Maria Makrides, comments:
"Several mechanistic studies have suggested that higher intakes of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated
fatty acids or fish oil fatty acids during pregnancy modulate the neonatal immune response. Our results
imply that for pregnant women with allergies and living in industrialized societies, it is possible to reduce
the chances of her baby developing atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis in the first year of life by taking
about 1g of fish oil fatty acids in the last half of pregnancy."
The NHS report that in eight out of 10 cases of childhood eczema symptoms of atopic eczema are seen
before a child reaches five years of age[5], with many children developing the condition before their first
birthday. Symptoms can range from relatively mild with small areas of dry or red itchy skin, to more
severe where the skin is cracked, sore and bleeding.
The DOMInO trial (DHA to Optimize Mother Infant Outcome) used Efalex® Mother & Baby, a
nutritional supplement rich in the Omega-3 fatty acid Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This nutrient is
particularly important for a baby’s development as in addition to being needed for the development of a
healthy immune system as demonstrated here, it also supports healthy development of blood cells and
vessels as well as constituting the building blocks of the brain, eyes and nervous system.
Efalex® Mother & Baby helps encourage healthy pregnancy and birth by delivering the Long Chain
Omega-3 Fatty Acids necessary to replenish the naturally-depleted levels in expectant mothers especially
where the recommended two portions of oily fish are not being eaten.
Dr Alex Richardson, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, University of
Oxford, and co-founder of the UK charity Food and Behaviour Research, comments: “Most people in the
UK consume less than the Government’s recommended daily intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, [i]
and it is particularly vital to address this deficiency during pregnancy. Many previous studies have shown
these omega-3 to be essential for the normal development and future health of the unborn baby, as well as
the health of the mother. In this trial – the largest of its kind –supplementation during pregnancy led to
highly significant reductions in many factors such as prematurity and low birth weight that can adversely
affect children’s development and wellbeing over their lifetimes. These latest findings now show that
omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy also led to dramatic reductions in the proportions of children
suffering from either atopic eczema or allergic sensitisation to egg protein, confirming the importance of
these nutrients for healthy immune system development. All expectant mums need to ensure a good dietary
intake of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and seafood, and for any women who choose not
to eat these foods, supplementation offers a safe and effective way to ensure an adequate supply.”
In addition, a variety of other studies have linked maternal and infant DHA levels to additional benefits in
the baby’s development including increased gestation and improved visual acuity (at age 6 months) [ii], as
well as enhanced sleep patterns[iii]and mental processing[iv],[v]
ENDS
Furuhjelm C, Warstedt K, Larsson J et al. Fish oil supplementation in pregnancy and lactation may decrease the risk of infant allergy.
Acta Paediatr 2009 Jun 1 [Epub ahead of print]
[2] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/eczema-(atopic)/Pages/Introduction.aspx
[3] Furuhjelm C, Warstedt K, Larsson J et al. Fish oil supplementation in pregnancy and lactation may decrease the risk of infant allergy.
Acta Paediatr 2009 Jun 1 [Epub ahead of print]
[4] Furuhjelm C, Warstedt K, Larsson J et al. Fish oil supplementation in pregnancy and lactation may decrease the risk of infant allergy.
Acta Paediatr 2009 Jun 1 [Epub ahead of print]
[1]
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/eczema-(atopic)/Pages/Introduction.aspx
The current nutritional advice from the UK Department of Health is that everyone should be eating two portions of fish per week, one
of which should be oil-rich such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout and some forms of tuna. A portion of oily fish contains 2-3g of longchain omega-3
[ii] Jacobson JL et al. J Pediatr 2008; 152:356-64.
[iii] Cheruku et al. Amer J Clin Nutr 2002; 76:608-13.
[iv] Colombo J et al. Child Dev. 2004;75(4):1254-67
[v] Decsi T et al. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2005:8(2)161-6
[5]
[i]