PR89771

GENEVA, June 4, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Children born to mothers who took fish oil in their pregnancies have been shown

to have faster problem-solving skills and better attention focus at age 10,

according to findings from an EU funded study presented today at the 6th World

Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

This is the first study to examine the long-term effect of maternal

supplementation with fish oil and/or 5-MTHF (folic acid) on resting state

functioning – when a person is not engaged in a cognitive or active task – in

school-age children.

Professor Dr. Berthold Koletzko, Head of  Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine at

Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Centre,  

Germany, one of the study's authors, explains: "The results demonstrate that

the quality of maternal nutrient supply during the period of rapid early brain

development in pregnancy, has a lasting impact on later brain function at

school age. Women before and during pregnancy should therefore be supported in

achieving a good quality diet and be counselled on potential fish oil

supplement use."

Coordinator of the study and Director of the EURISTIKOS Excellence Centre for

Paediatric Research at the University of Granada, Spain, Professor Christina

Campoy, adds: "Our research provides evidence that children born to mothers who

had taken fish oil during the second half of pregnancy had improved memory."

The study followed up on 57 children of mothers from a previous research

programme who had been given 500mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 150mg of

eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) fish oils per day, either with or without 400

Micrograms of 5-MTHF (folic acid), folic acid alone, or placebo, during the

second half of their pregnancies.

Professor Magnus Domellof, Chair of the ESPGHAN Nutrition Committee, commented:

'The results from this study indicate that early nutrition during pregnancy can

have a significant impact on brain development in children, with the potential

to enhance cognitive performance. We look forward to the outcomes of this study

being tested in further trials.'

Source: ESPGHAN