- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Music Therapy For Prehistoric Man?
- Soybean Chemicals May Reduce Effects of Menopause
- Pharoah's Wine Jar Yields Medicinal Secrets
- ANIMAL CARE
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- BONES & JOINTS
- B Cells Can Act Alone in Autoimmune Diseases
- Most Women With Osteoporosis Unaware of Raised Fracture Risk
- Bone Density Predicts Chances of Breast Cancer
- CANCER
- Selenium, Omega-3s May Stave Off Colorectal Cancer
- Minorities Distrust Medical System More
- Red Meat No No No But Oily Fish Yes Yes Yes
- CAREGIVING
- Hospital Practices Influence Which Moms Will Breast-Feed
- When the Caregiver Becomes the Patient
- Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Exercise Extends Life of Kidney Patients
- Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- COSMETIC
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- An Oral Approach to Heart Disease
- DIABETES
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- Diabetes Linked to Cognitive Problems
- Exercise Protects Black Women From Type 2 Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Leafy Greens Top Risky Food List
- Asparagus May Ease Hangover
- Milk Destroys Antioxidant Benefits in Blueberries
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- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Environmental Chemicals May Affect Male Reproduction
- U.S. Diet Needs Heart-Felt Overhaul
- Are Medical Meetings Environmentally Unfriendly?
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Retinal Gene Is Linked to Childhood Blindness
- When Corks Fly, Watch the Eyes
- Sports Eye Injuries Leading Cause of Blindness in Youths
- FITNESS
- Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health
- Brisk Walk Can Help Leave Common Cold Behind
- Tai Chi: An Ideal Exercise for Many People with Diabetes
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- GENERAL HEALTH
- More Calcium And Dairy Products in Childhood Could Mean Longer Life
- Swine Flu Fatality Rate a 'Little Bit' Higher Than That of Seasonal Flu
- Can You Talk Your Way to Happy?
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Brown Rice Tied to Better Heart Health in Study
- Kids With Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Trouble
- Omega-3, Some Omega-6 Fatty Acids Boost Cardiovascular Health
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- KID'S HEALTH
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Mind Exercise Might Help Stroke Patients
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- PREGNANCY
- Calcium Supplements Cut Blood Lead Levels During Pregnancy
- Pre-Pregnancy Weight Linked to Babies' Heart Problems
- Before Conceiving, Take Folic Acid for One Full Year
- SENIORS
- For Older Walkers, Faster Is Better
- 15-Point Test Gauges Alzheimer's Risk
- Tai Chi May Help Ward Off Knee Pain in Seniors
Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Help 'Preemie' Girls' Brains
By eHolistic.com Published: 01/13/2009
TUESDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they boosted the brain function of female preterm babies by increasing the amount of an omega-3 fatty acid in either formula or breast milk.
The study, which appears in the Jan. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that preterm baby girls fed a diet high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improved their scores on a mental development test by five points. The intervention also led to an 80 percent reduction in the number of baby girls with significant mental delays, the researchers said.
But the intervention didn't confer the same benefits to baby boys, the team noted.
"We hypothesized that if the diets of preterm infants contained a concentration of DHA that was at a level the baby would have received if still in the womb, then we would improve the mental development of these preterm children," said the study's lead author, Maria Makrides, deputy director of the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute and professor of human nutrition at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
Makrides said the idea for the study came from previous research that found that giving low levels of DHA to preemies could improve their visual acuity. That study, however, was unclear whether there were mental benefits as well. Makrides and her colleagues hoped that by increasing the levels of DHA, they would see an improvement in neurocognitive functioning.
The study included 657 infants who were randomly assigned to receive a standard dose of DHA or a high dose. If mothers were breast-feeding, they were given capsules containing the omega-3 fatty acid. Otherwise, they were given fortified formula. Both treatments were given until the babies reached what would have been their expected delivery date.
To test the babies' brain function, the researchers used a test called the Bayley Mental Development Index, which assesses memory, problem solving, early number concepts and language.
When the researchers first tallied the data, they found virtually no difference. But, when they separated the groups by gender, a difference emerged. The baby girls' scores on the test went up by an average of five points. According to Makrides, that translates to a 55 percent reduction in the number of girls with a mild mental delay and, for those given high levels of DHA, an 80 percent reduction.
Why the treatment didn't help boys isn't clear.
"We can only speculate that there are differences in the metabolism of boys and girls that we do not yet understand," Makrides said. "The higher metabolic rate in boys may mean that they utilize much of the DHA they receive into energy. Also, boys may have a higher requirement for DHA. Clearly, this is an area of important research for the future."
Samantha Heller, a New York City-based registered dietician, said she also could not explain why there was such a difference between boys and girls in this study.
"What I can tell you is that DHA is really important for the development of the brain in the womb, and the eyes and visual acuity," Heller said. "There have been studies that show mid-pregnancy supplementation can improve children's outcomes."
"So, what pregnant women can do is focus on their diets, before getting pregnant and during pregnancy, and include foods that have omega-3 fatty acids, like low-mercury fish," she said. "Some examples are anchovies, herring, catfish, canned salmon, sardines, Pacific sole, tilapia, freshwater trout and whitefish."
And she had one more bit of advice: "If you're going to take supplements, talk to your ob/gyn first."
-Serena Gordon
More information
To learn more about premature birth, visit the March of Dimes.
SOURCES: Maria Makrides, B.Sc., B.N.D., Ph.D., deputy director, Women's and Children's Health Research Institute, and professor of human nutrition, University of Adelaide, Australia; Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., New York City; Jan. 14, 2009, Journal of the American Medical Association
Last Updated: Jan. 13, 2009
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