A study carried out by the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute, North Adelaide, South Australia, has looked at the effect of dietary n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation in pregnant women carrying foetuses at high risk of allergic diseases. The aim is to determine whether LCPUFAs reduce immunoglobulin E (IgE) associated with eczema or food allergy at one year of age.

706 women participated in the Docosahexanoic Acid to Optimise Mother Infant Outcome (DOMInO) trial, and the intervention group of 368 women were given 900mg of n-3 LCPUFA daily, as fish oil capsules, from 21 weeks gestation until birth.

The scientists found that although fewer infants were sensitised to egg and had atopic eczema in the intervention group, there was no other difference between the infants at age one year.

Source: British Medical Journal

First Published in January 2012

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