It is known that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are important components that ensure the proper development of the fetal nervous system and the retina during the prenatal period. In addition, PUFAs affect the immune system and the course of inflammatory processes in the body. However, previously, the effect of the use of PUFAs by women during pregnancy on the health status of young children had not been sufficiently studied in clinical studies. A group of researchers from the United States conducted a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial to study the effect of docosahexaenoic acid used by women during pregnancy on the incidence of colds in children in the first six months of their life.

Over a period of 2 years, 1836 pregnant women were screened to participate in the study. The criteria for including patients in the study were 18 to 35 years of age, 18 to 22 weeks of gestational age, willingness to take DHA or placebo regularly before delivery, intention to '' breastfeed a baby for at least 3 months and the mother's consent to follow the baby in a research center for 2 years after birth. The study did not involve women with complicated pregnancies, lipid metabolism disorders, self-administered dietary supplements containing fish oil or DHA, as well as certain drugs.

In total, the study included 1094 pregnant women, who were randomly assigned to two groups. The two groups did not differ significantly in baseline characteristics. Women in the study group (n = 547) received 400 mg of DHA daily, and patients in the control group (n = 547) received a placebo. Compliance was high (over 94%) and was similar in the two groups.

In women who received DHA during pregnancy, at birth, their plasma levels, as well as one month after delivery, were higher in blood plasma and breast milk than in women who took placebo.

After the birth of the children, they were examined at the center at the age of 1, 3 and 6 months. During the visits, the mothers filled out special questionnaires to record the episodes of colds, as well as the duration of the symptoms during each episode. Data were obtained one month after birth for 849 children and for 834 children aged 3 and 6 months. The basic characteristics of children born to women in the two groups were also similar. At the same time, the incidence of cold symptoms (cough, nasal mucus or nasal congestion) during the first month of life was lower in the group of children whose mothers received DHA during pregnancy (37.6 % vs 44.6%; p less than 0.05; odds ratio - OR = 0.76; 95% confidence interval - CI 0.58 to 1.00). The duration of cold symptoms was also significantly (p less than 0.01) shorter in the group of children born to women in the study group: cough - 26%, runny nose - 15% and wheezing - 30% than children, mother who received a placebo. However, the number of days of rash was significant in children born to women taking DHA by 22% (p less than 0.01).

A decrease in the frequency and duration of colds in the group of children whose mothers took DHA during pregnancy has been observed in the first six months of life. At the age of 6 months. the duration of fever in children in the study group was 20% shorter, runny nose 13%, breathing difficulty 54% and other illnesses 25% than in children whose mothers took a placebo. In addition, at the age of 6 months, the number of days of rash in the children in the study group also proved to be 23% lower than that in the control group. However, during 6 months of life in the study group, the duration of vomiting was 74% longer than in the control group (p less than 0.05). The frequency and severity of diarrheal syndrome during the entire observation period did not differ among children born to women in the study and control groups.

Based on the data, the researchers concluded that consumption of 400 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy reduces the incidence of colds in children in the first half of life. Thus, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) probably play an important role in the formation of the baby's immune system, so it is important to ensure their adequate supply in the body, both during the prenatal period and during breastfeeding.