Australia - Smaller Babies Who Take Omega-3 May Have Lower Heart Disease Risk, Study

AsianScientist (Feb. 28, 2012) – Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the first five years of life might reduce the risk of a small baby developing ischemic heart disease.

Generally, babies who are in the bottom tenth-percentile of birth weights have an increased risk of developing the disease later in life. To date, no preventative strategy to address their risk has previously been identified.

“The greater degree of risk is partly due to the development, from early childhood, of arterial wall thickening which is an indicator of early atherosclerosis, leading to a build-up of fat and plaque, and hardening of the blood vessels,” said lead author, Dr. Michael Skilton.

In this study, 616 children who were taking part in the Childhood Asthma Prevention study were also placed into two groups.

The intervention (Omega-3) group received a 500 milligram daily fish oil supplement from the start of bottle-feeding or six months of age until five years of age. They were also supplied with canola-based margarines and cooking oil for the same period.

The control group received a 500 milligram daily sunflower oil supplement from the start of bottle-feeding or from 6 months of age until five years of age. They were supplied with omega-6 fatty acid-rich margarines and cooking oil.

These children were then tested when they were eight-years-old for the presence of arterial wall thickening, an indicator of early atherosclerosis associated with later cardiovascular disease.

Children in the control group demonstrated thickened arterial walls if they were small at birth, a finding which was absent in the intervention group.

“The results of the paper suggest that babies born small may benefit from a daily omega-3 supplement, however further studies are required to confirm this,” said Dr. Skilton.

The findings have been published in the latest issue of Pediatrics: Skilton MR et al. (2012) Impaired Fetal Growth and Arterial Wall Thickening: A Randomized Trial of Omega-3 Supplementation.

Source: University of Sydney.

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