Effect of Prenatal DHA Supplementation on Infant Fat Mass: Study

In a recent study published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, researchers investigated the associations between mother-consumed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements and offspring obesity outcomes.

Childhood obesity is a serious health issue where kids weigh much more than they should for their age (BMI > 95th percentile). It's becoming more common.

Studies have shown that the first 1,000 days after birth are crucial because babies' fat cells grow quickly during this time, affecting their weight later on. Some research suggests that taking certain supplements during pregnancy can help prevent childhood obesity.

One area scientist are looking into is polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). When pregnant moms take DHA, it might reduce their babies' fat mass by stopping certain cells from becoming fat cells.

In this study, scientists conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blinded study to investigate if giving pregnant women extra DHA supplements could lower the chances of their babies gaining too much fat because of increased weight gain during pregnancy.

They explored if taking different amounts of DHA during pregnancy (1000 mg/day versus 200 mg/day) would change the weight gain during pregnancy and affect the amount of fat in the babies at 24 months old. They also looked at whether these effects were different for boys and girls. They measured the weight and height of the mothers at the start of the study, and regularly took blood samples to check the levels of different fatty acids.

Out of the 250 pregnant women in the study, 124 were given a low dose of DHA supplements (200 mg/day), while the rest received a higher dose (1000 mg/day). Nearly all of the participants (90.9%) followed their treatment plans well.

The results showed that babies born to mothers who received the high dose of DHA had more total fat mass compared to those whose mothers received the low dose. Moreover, babies in the high-dose group had notably more fat around their central areas, while other fat measurements remained similar between the two groups.

The findings stayed the same throughout the entire 24-month study, supporting previous research that prenatal supplements can help with baby health. However, more research is needed to confirm how these results might affect children.

Reference: Hull, H. R., Brown, A., Gajewski, B., Sullivan, D. K., & Carlson, S. E. (2024). The effect of prenatal DHA supplementation on offspring fat mass and distribution at 24 months old. In Current Developments in Nutrition (p. 103771). Elsevier BV, DOI – 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103771,