Free Access
Issue
Reprod. Nutr. Dev.
Volume 45, Number 5, September-October 2005
Page(s) 535 - 547
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:2005044
Reprod. Nutr. Dev. 45 (2005) 535-547
DOI: 10.1051/rnd:2005044

Maternal fish oil supplementation in lactation: effect on developmental outcome in breast-fed infants

Lotte Lauritzena, Marianne H. Jorgensenb, Sjúrdur F. Olsenc, Ellen Marie Straarupd and Kim F. Michaelsena

a  Center for Advanced Food Studies, Department of Human Nutrition, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Rolighedsvej 30, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
b  Department of Pediatrics, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 3, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
c  Maternal Nutrition Group, Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
d  Center for Advanced Food Studies, Biochemistry and Nutrition Group, BioCentrum-DTU, The Technical University of Denmark, Bygn. 224, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

(Received 19 October 2004; accepted 20 December 2004)

Abstract - Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) accumulates in the brain during the 1st and 2nd years of life. The objective of this study was to see if an increased content of DHA in breast-milk via maternal fish oil (FO)-supplementation affects mental development in term infants. one hundred twenty-two Danish mothers with a habitual fish intake below the population median were randomized to 4.5 g·d-1 of FO or olive oil (OO) for the first four months of lactation. Fifty-three mothers with habitual fish intake in the highest quartile were included as reference group. The effect of the resulting increase in infant DHA-intake and RBC-DHA level was assessed on problem solving ability at nine months and language at one and two years of age. Infants in the three groups performed equally well on the problem test and no association was observed between problem solving and erythrocyte-DHA at four months. Passive vocabulary at one year was lower in the children of the FO- compared with the OO-group (P < 0.05), but no differences were found at two years of age. Word comprehension at one year was inversely associated with erythrocyte-DHA at four months. The trial indicate a small effect of DHA levels in breast-milk on early language development of breast-fed infants.


Key words: docosahexaenoic acid / breast-milk / infant development / long-chain n-3 fatty acid / optimal dietary intake

Corresponding author: Lotte Lauritzen ll@kvl.dk

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2005