DENVER, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- More research shows that
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly the omega-3s found in fish,
benefit maternal and infant health, immune function and total parenteral
nutrition (TPN). The June 2008 Fats of Life and PUFA Newsletter electronic
publications summarize new findings in these areas.
One study showed that providing greater amounts of docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA), an omega-3 PUFA, and arachidonic acid, an omega-6 PUFA, to preterm
infants with very low birth weights resulted in improved cognition. Preterm
infant formulas in the U.S. provide less of these fatty acids than the
infant would receive had it remained in the womb.
"This study provides additional evidence that the fatty acids an infant
receives from the mother during pregnancy are critically important for
brain development," said Editor Joyce Nettleton, D.Sc. "If these findings
are confirmed, they suggest that the long-chain PUFA content of preterm
infant formula may need to be increased."
Studies on TPN, intravenous feeding for the seriously ill, also
question current U.S. regulations. In infants with severe liver disease and
short bowel syndrome, a fish oil-based preparation significantly reversed
the disease more quickly and more often compared with the standard soybean
oil preparation. In the U.S., fish oil TPN must be imported from Europe and
is approved only under compassionate circumstances.
"Fish oil-based TPN saves lives and hastens the recovery of infants
with short bowel syndrome," Nettleton said. "Evidence from these studies
may help ease U.S. regulations so that fish oil-based TPN will be widely
available across the country."
Other research examined infant cognitive development related to their
mothers' exposure to high levels of mercury, PCBs and omega-3 fatty acids
from eating seafood during pregnancy. In spite of their exposure to these
contaminants, the infants' high level of prenatal DHA was linked to better
outcomes, such as greater birth weight, gestational age, visual acuity, and
higher mental and psychomotor developmental scores.
"These studies do not justify ignoring contaminants in seafood, but
they add to a large body of evidence that the benefits of eating most
species of fish during pregnancy outweigh the risks," Nettleton noted.
The quarterly Fats of Life and PUFA Newsletter, sponsored by DSM
Nutritional Products, are at http://www.fatsoflife.com.
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