BANGALORE, India—According to a recent study, supplementation with omega-3s during pregnancy may have important implications for fetal development (Eu J Clin Nutr. 2009;63:340-46). In the prospective cohort study, data on maternal fish intake and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) intake and status of 676 women were obtained at baseline (first trimester), the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
Fifty-six percent of the study women consumed fish with low daily median intakes. Consequently, the median intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy were also low at 2.1 and 10.1 mg/d-1, respectively. EPA and DHA intakes were associated with their status in erythrocyte membrane phospholipids during pregnancy. Women who did not eat fish during the third trimester had a significantly higher risk of low body weight. Similarly, low-EPA intake during the third trimester had an association with a higher risk of low body weight. Researcheres said among low fish-eating pregnant women, fish intake in the third trimester was closely associated with birth weight.