Supplemental Omega-3 Fat Helps Brain Develop in Preemie Girls

High-dose supplemental docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils, aids brain development in baby girls born prematurely, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The extra DHA did not seem to help premature baby boys.

Preemies -- infants born after less than 33 weeks gestation -- have a high risk of developmental disorders and learning disabilities.

Maria Makrides, PhD, of the Women’s and Children's Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia, and her colleagues compared the effects of standard amounts of DHA and large amounts of DHA on 657 premature infants.

The high-dose DHA -- 500 mg daily -- was given in the form of supplements to lactating mothers or in formula to babies that were not breast fed. Placebos consisted of soybean oil.

The DHA or placebos were provided within a few days of the babies' birth until they reached their expected delivery date. The infants were then assessed 18 months later using tests to evaluate their memory, problem-solving ability, language ability, and early number concepts.

Baby girls receiving large amounts of DHA had better mental development compared with those fed a standard amount of DHA.

Looked at another way, only three of the baby girls in the high-DHA group experienced a significant mental delay, compared with 16 of those in the standard DHA group. Similarly, only 16 of the baby girls in the high-DHA group experienced a mild mental delay, compared with 40 in the standard DHA group.

Reference: Makrides M, Gibson RA, McPhee AJ, et al. "Neurodevelopment outcomes of preterm infants fed high-dose docosahexaenoic acid." JAMA, 2009;301:175-182.