Omega-3 Benefits and Facts
- Part 3
Introduction
Cardiovascular and Heart
Disease
Pregnancy and Infant Nutrition
Skin Conditions
Joint Health and
Arthritis
Other Diseases
Pregnancy Nutrition and Fetal/Infant Development:
 When pregnant, proper pregnancy nutrition obviously results
in an increased need for the right nutrients. Deficiency
or excess of any number of nutrients can lead to birth defects
or complications during pregnancy for the mother. Omega-3
fatty acids (DHA and EPA) from fish oils are of major importance
for proper nutrition during pregnancy, not only for fetal
development, but for the mother as well. For example, DHA
is a major component of the brain and other neural tissue
including the light-sensitive cells in the retina of the
eye. All essential fatty acids are important for normal fetal
development. DHA is particularly important because the fetus
and/or premature infants cannot produce DHA efficiently.
Significant brain and eye development occurs during fetal
development and continues during infant development. Infants
rely on their paternal supply of DHA for the developing brain
(grey matter) and eyes, initially through the placenta and
then through breast milk. DHA is the building block of human
brain tissue and is particularly abundant in the grey matter
of the brain and the retina. DHA is particularly important
for fetuses and infants; the DHA content of the infant's
brain triples during the first three months of life. DHA
is the most abundant omega-3 long chain fatty acid in breast
milk and studies show that breast-fed babies have IQ advantages
over babies fed formula lacking DHA. Unfortunately, DHA levels
in the breast milk of U.S. women are among the lowest in
the world. Therefore, increasing DHA levels should be a primary
goal for all pregnant or lactating women. To add, low levels
of DHA have recently been associated with depression, memory
loss, dementia, and visual problems.
Making matters worse is the fact that the United States
is the only country in the world where infant formulas are
generally not fortified with DHA, this despite a 1995 recommendation
by the World Health Organization that all baby formulas should
provide 40 mg of DHA per kilogram of infant body weight.
Scientist believe that postpartum depression, attention deficit
disorder (ADD), and low IQs are all linked to the low DHA
intake commonly found in the U.S. Low DHA levels have been
linked to low brain serotonin levels which again are connected
to an increased tendency to depression, suicide, and violence.
DHA is abundant in cold-water fish and nutritionists now
recommend that people consume two to three servings of fish
every week to maintain DHA levels. If this is not possible,
it is recommended to supplement with a minimum of 100 mg/day
of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.
Postpartum Depression (baby blues) and Omega-3 Fish Oils:
Postpartum depression, or baby blues, should be of major
concern during pregnancy. By adding the omega-3 fatty acid
DHA to your diet, you can significantly decrease the effects
of postpartum depression. Current research shows a link between
a mother's DHA intake and postpartum depression, the latter
of which affects 15-20% of women in the U.S. It is important
to remember that fetal development, as well as newborn infant
development, depends on the maternal supply of DHA. If a
mother’s supply of DHA is low, the fetus will take
most of that supply leaving the mother depleted of DHA, thus
leading to one possible precursor to the development of postpartum
depression condition. Proper intake of omega-3 fatty acids
during and after pregnancy can significantly reduce your
chances in getting those baby blues.
Fetal Development and Omega-3 Fish Oils:
It is well established that humans, at both the fetal and
infant stage, require an adequate supply of omega-3 and omega-6
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for optimal growth
and neural development. There is also evidence that the need
for omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA, is especially
essential for pre-term and developing infants. It has been
suggested that these infants lack the ability to synthesize
DHA from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in sufficient amounts
to ensure an adequate supply to the brain and neural tissue.
Several studies have shown that infants with adequate supply
of DHA developed better visual acuity and retinal response
to light and scored higher when evaluated for mental development.
Omega-3 fish oil is brain food for a developing baby. The
EPA and DHA found in fish oils are essential to your baby’s
healthy development. Omega-3 fatty acids make up more than
half of a newborn baby’s brain mass. These essential
oils are the main component of a developing fetal nervous
system and retina and are necessary throughout the entire
process of pregnancy for the health and well being of the
fetus. Deficiencies of EPA and DHA have also been linked
to premature births and abnormally low birth weights. Since
the only way your baby can get these essential oils is through
your diet, if you are not getting enough from an outside
source, your health is also at risk. For example, an EPA
and DHA deficiency can put a pregnant woman at an increased
risk of preeclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood pressure)
and severe post-partum depression. During the nine months
of pregnancy, a pregnant woman could lose as much as 3 percent
of her own brain mass from EPA and DHA depletion.
The World Health Organization, the British Nutrition Foundation
and a Child Health Foundation panel all recognize the importance
of DHA and ARA in the infant diet and recommend their inclusion
in infant formulas. The Child Health Foundation also recommends
pregnant and lactating women supplement their diet with nearly
1000 mg/day of omega-3 oils containing balanced ratios of
EPA and DHA.
During fetal development, DHA is provided from the mother
Developing fetuses cannot make their own omega-3 fatty
acids. So their mothers must meet their nutritional needs.
DHA
and other essential nutrients are obtained by the mother
through her diet or supplementation and are passed along
to the fetus during pregnancy. Although the developing
fetus requires DHA throughout the pregnancy, this vital
nutrient is particularly important during the third trimester.
These last three months are when much of the fetus' neurological,
visual and nervous system development occurs.
DHA is correlated with improved cognitive function in infants
DHA is found in tissue throughout the body. It is a major
structural fatty acid in the gray matter of the brain and
the retina of the eye which is important for proper brain
and eye development in infants. Omega-3 fatty acids make
up about 70% of a newborn baby’s brain and optimal
fetal development depends on omega-3 availability. Research
has shown that omega-3 fatty acids are associated with improved
visual and cognitive development. Several published studies
have shown that infants that breast-fed from omega-3 supplemented
mothers have demonstrated an improved mental development
over infants fed non-supplemented formulas. One such study,
published in the Journal of Family Health Care in 2002, showed
that breast-fed children had higher IQ scores compared with
children who received an infant formula that did not contain
omega-3 fatty acids. A meta-analysis of 11 published studies
reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October,
1999) showed a 60% gain in intelligence in breast fed infants
over those who were formula-fed, measured by IQ scores. The
researchers suggest that the higher IQs are attributable
to the nutritional value of breast milk, which contains certain
Omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA.
Fetal development and visual function
In several studies,
breast-fed term infants and term infants fed formula supplemented
with pre-formed DHA and ARA have
shown more rapid rates of visual development compared
to infants fed non-supplemented formula. According to a clinical
study published in March of 2000, this advantage is equivalent
to about one line on the eye chart. In 2002, a study
published
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded
that infants who were breast-fed for six weeks and then
weaned to a DHA and ARA supplemented infant formula had
significantly better visual acuity at 17, 26 and 52 weeks
of age and significantly better stereoscopic acuity at
17 weeks of age compared to infants who were weaned to
non-supplemented formula. In 2003, the same researchers
showed that infants who were breastfed for the first
four to six months of life and then weaned to DHA and ARA
supplemented
formula demonstrated more mature visual acuity than infants
weaned to non-supplemented formula. These studies showed
an average of a one to two line improvement on an eye
chart for children that had been supplemented with omega-3
fatty
acids during their development years.
Omega-3s can influence behavior
It is estimated that 3-5% of the school-age population in
the United States suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADD or ADHD). Nutritional factors are most likely
relative to ADHD at many levels. A study first reported
in 1995, linked ADHD to a deficiency of omega-3 long-chain
fatty acids. Children deficient in omega-3 oils may be
more likely to have behavioral and learning problems, such
as ADHD, according to new research at Purdue University.
John R. Burgess, assistant professor of foods and nutrition,
tested the omega-3 blood levels of 96 boys, ages 6-12;
about half had been identified as having ADHD. “Clearly”,
Burgess says, "boys with lower levels of the omega-3
fat scored higher in frequency of behavioral problems".
Such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, temper tantrums
and sleep problems.
Babies Benefit from Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Womb (Breast
Cancer):
Mothers who eat foods rich in omega-3 (n-3) fatty
acids during pregnancy and while nursing and who continue
to feed their
babies such a diet after weaning may dramatically reduce
their daughters’ risk of developing breast cancer
later in life, according to research presented at the
96th Annual
Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research
in April.
Conversely, mothers’consumption of omega-6 fats commonly
found in Western diets could increase their daughters’ risk
of breast cancer.
“Diet matters, Mom,” said W. Elaine Hardman,
an assistant professor in the Division of Functional Foods
at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge. “Inadvertently, we may be
setting up our daughters to develop breast cancer 50 years
from now.”
Hardman based her hypothesis on existing research showing
that maternal diets containing high amounts of omega-6 fatty
acids increase maternal estrogen levels; increased maternal
estrogen, in turn, has been linked to an increased incidence
of breast cancer among female offspring.
Working with mice bred with a genetic predisposition to
develop breast cancer, Hardman compared the incidence rates
for the disease in offspring depending upon theirs and their
mothers’ relative consumption of diets either high
in omega-6 fatty acids, or high in omega-3 fatty acids.
The genetic make-up of the female mice was such that all
would develop hyperplasia; that is, to grow too many normal
cells in the mammary ducts, by three months of age. By six
months, that hyperplasia would progress to mammary adenocarcinoma.
The mice were bred and the mothers were fed diets high in
either omega-6 fatty acids or high in omega-3 fatty acids,
both during the gestation period and while breast-feeding
the female young. After the daughters were weaned, one group
was placed on a high-omega-6 fatty acid diet, while the other
was fed predominantly omega-3 fatty acids.
In Hardman’s experiment, all the young exposed only
to omega-6 fatty acids, in utero, in nursing and after weaning,
showed mammary gland tumors by six months of age. Conversely,
fewer than 60% of the female offspring who ate richly of
omega-3 fatty acids either maternally or post-weaning formed
mammary tumors by the age of eight months. Those exposed
to omega-3 fatty acids, both maternally and after weaning,
had a tumor incidence rate of just 13%.
Breast Cancer and Omega-3:
Supplementing the diet of tumor-bearing
mice or rats with oils containing (n-3) (omega-3) or with
purified (n-3)
fatty acids has slowed the growth of various types of
cancers, including lung, colon, mammary, and prostate. The
efficacy
of cancer chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin, epirubicin,
CPT-11, 5-fluorouracil, and tamoxifen, and of radiation
therapy has been improved when the diet included (n-3)
fatty acids. Some potential mechanisms for the activity
of (n-3) fatty acids against cancer include modulation
of eicosanoid production and inflammation, angiogenesis,
proliferation, susceptibility for apoptosis, and estrogen
signaling. In humans, (n-3) fatty acids have also been
used to suppress cancer-associated cachexia and to improve
the quality of life. In one study, the response to chemotherapy
therapy was better in breast cancer patients with higher
levels of (n-3) fatty acids in adipose tissue [indicating
past consumption of (n-3) fatty acids] than in patients
with lower levels of (n-3) fatty acids. Thus, in combination
with standard treatments, supplementing the diet with
(n-3) fatty acids may be a nontoxic means to improve cancer
treatment
outcomes and may slow or prevent recurrence of cancer.
Used alone, an (n-3) supplement may be a useful alternative
therapy for patients who are not candidates for standard
toxic cancer therapies.
Allergies and Omega-3 Intake for Infants:
Parallel increases
in many inflammatory diseases over the last 40 years suggest
that common environmental changes
are promoting inflammatory immune responses and/or inhibiting
the processes that normally keep these in check. One
key change during this period has been declining intakes
of
anti-inflammatory dietary factors, including omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA). As allergic diseases
often first
manifest in early infancy, prevention strategies need
to be targeted early, even in utero. This review will examine
recent evidence for the use of fish oil during this early
period as a primary prevention strategy for allergic
disease.
RECENT FINDINGS: N-3 PUFA have well documented anti-inflammatory
effects in vitro and have also been demonstrated to have
health benefits in a range of chronic inflammatory diseases,
including cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis
and diabetes, supporting their role in modulating inflammation
in vivo. Although the effects of fish oil supplementation
in established allergic disease are less convincing,
there is accumulating evidence that dietary n-3 PUFA may
have
greater effects before allergic responses are established.
SUMMARY: Supplementation of the maternal diet in pregnancy
with n-3 PUFA may provide a non-invasive intervention
with significant potential to prevent the development of
allergic
and possibly other immune-mediated diseases.
Other Omega-3 Fatty Acid Benefits:
- Omega-3 fatty acids may promote an easier birth
- Studies
have shown omega-3 intake can prevent preterm delivery
- Omega-3
intake is associated with more mature neonatal sleep-state
patterning (*Your baby sleeps longer through
the night earlier in life)
- Higher cognitive function in
omega-3 fatty acid supplemented infants
- Omega-3 intake
can reduce the chances of your child developing allergies
- Increased fetal development, specifically brain
and vision
- Children are less likely to have behavioral and
learning problems (ADD/ADHD)
- Decrease chances of developing
post-partum depression (baby blues)
Conclusion:
In conclusion, women can safely benefit from omega-3 intake
early in their pregnancy and take advantage from the many
positive effects omega-3 fatty acids offer. Pregnant women
should consider the intake of omega-3 oils during and after
pregnancy to prevent preterm delivery, promote an easier
birth, reduce the possibility of their child developing allergies,
and to assist the baby's brain and eye health. Benefits to
the mother may include prevention of prenatal and postnatal
depression and the reassurance that she is giving her baby
a healthy start in life.
Additional Scientific Support:
Araya A. J.; Rojas G. M.; Fernandez F. P.; Mateluna A. A.,
Differences in percentage composition of long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids in maternal and fetal erythrocytes
in term and
preterm births. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion (1998),
48(3), 210-215
Allen KG, Harris MA. The role of n-3 fatty acids
in gestation and parturition. Exp. Biol. Med. 2001;226:498-506.
Auestad, N., et al. Visual acuity, erythrocyte fatty
acid composition, and growth in term infants fed formulas
with
long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for one year. Pediatric
Research, Vol. 41, January 1997, pp. 1-10
Auestad N., Scott D.T., Janowsky J.S., Jacobsen C., Carroll
R.E., Montalto M.B., Halter R., Qiu W., Jacobs J.R., Connor
W.E., Connor S.L., Taylor J.A., Neuringer M., Fitzgerald
K.M., Hall R.T. Visual, cognitive, and language assessments
at 39 months: a follow-up study of children fed formulas
containing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to 1 year
of age. Pediatrics. 2003 Sep; 112(3 Pt 1): e177-83 Birch, E.E., et al. Visual acuity and the essentiality
of docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in the diet
of
term infants. Pediatric Research, Vol. 44, August 1998, pp.
201-09
Birch, E.E., et al. Dietary essential fatty acid
supply and visual acuity development. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci,
Vol. 33, October 1992, pp. 3242-53
Burgess, John R., et al. Long-chain polyunsaturated
fatty acids in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl),
January 2000, pp. 327S-330S.
Carlson, S.E. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids
and development of human infants. Acta Paediatr Suppl, No. 430,
1999, pp. 72-7
Carlson, S.E. and Werkman, S.H. A randomized trial
of visual attention of preterm infants fed docosahexaenoic
acid until
two months. Lipids, Vol. 31, January 1996, pp. 85-90
Carlson, S.E., et al. Visual-acuity development
in healthy preterm infants: effect of marine-oil supplementation. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 58, July 1993, pp. 35-42
Cheruku S.R., Montgomery-Downs H.E., Farkas S.L., Thoman
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acid during pregnancy is associated with more mature neonatal
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608-13
Chiu CC, Huang SY, Su KP. Omega-3 polyunsaturated
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Federenko I.S., Wadhwa P.D. Women's mental health
during pregnancy influences fetal and infant developmental
and health
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acid, and gestational length. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2004 Feb;
79(2): 334-5
Helland IB, Smith L, Saarem K, Saugstad OD, Drevon CA. Maternal
supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during
pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years
of age. Pediatrics. 2003 Jan; 111(1): e39-44.
Hibbeln, Joseph R. Seafood consumption, the DHA
content of mothers' milk and prevalence rates of postpartum
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15-29
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with omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on
retinal and cortical
development in premature infants. American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Vol. 57 (suppl 5), May 1993, pp. 807S-12S
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blood
cell fatty acid composition. Lipids, Vol. 27, November
1992, pp. 886-95 Levine, Barbara S. Most frequently asked questions
about DHA. Nutrition Today, Vol. 32, November/December 1997, pp.
248-49
Makrides, M., et al. Fatty acid composition of brain,
retina, and erythrocytes in breast- and formula-fed infants. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 60, August 1994, pp.
189-94
Nettleton J. A. Are Omega-3 fatty acids essential
nutrients for fetal and infant development? J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1993
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Olsen S.F., Secher N.J., Bjornsson S., Weber T., Atke A., The
potential benefits of using fish oil in relation to preterm
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Obstet. Gynecol. Scand. 2003 Nov; 82(11): 978-82
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Med. Chil. 2001 Oct;129(10):1203-11 Werkman, S.H., and Carlson, S.E. A randomized trial
of visual attention of preterm infants fed docosahexaenoic
acid until
nine months. Lipids, Vol. 31, January 1996, pp. 91-7
Whalley LJ, Fox HC, Wahle KW, Starr JM, Deary IJ.
Cognitive aging, childhood intelligence, and
the use of food supplements: possible involvement of
n-3 fatty
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2002; 12(6 Suppl.): 5 Pregnancy, Fetal Development and Omega-3 Links:
Fetal Development (Medline Plus, Fetal Development)
This material has been provided for information purposes
only and should not be construed as recommendations. Please
consult your health care provider first if you have any health
problems.
Soft-E-Care™ products that contain Omega-3
fatty acids:
Omega-T™
Coromega™
Next: Part 4: Skin Conditions
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