Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Nov 2;151(11):3483-3494.
doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab238.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Dietary Supplements Consumed During Pregnancy and Lactation and Child Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review

Julie E H Nevins  1   2 , Sharon M Donovan  3 , Linda Snetselaar  4 , Kathryn G Dewey  5 , Rachel Novotny  6 , Jamie Stang  7 , Elsie M Taveras  8   9 , Ronald E Kleinman  8 , Regan L Bailey  10 , Ramkripa Raghavan  1   2 , Sara R Scinto-Madonich  1   2 , Sudha Venkatramanan  1   2 , Gisela Butera  1   2 , Nancy Terry  11 , Jean Altman  12 , Meghan Adler  12 , Julie E Obbagy  2 , Eve E Stoody  12 , Janet de Jesus  13
Affiliations

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Dietary Supplements Consumed During Pregnancy and Lactation and Child Neurodevelopment: A Systematic Review

Julie E H Nevins et al. J Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation has profound effects on the development and lifelong health of the child. Long-chain PUFAs are particularly important for myelination and the development of vision during the perinatal period.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic review to examine the relationship between supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and/or lactation and neurodevelopment in children, to inform the Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Methods: We identified articles on omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in pregnant and lactating women that included measures of neurodevelopment in their children (0-18 y) by searching PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, and CINAHL Plus. After dual screening articles for inclusion, we qualitatively synthesized and graded the strength of evidence using pre-established criteria for assessing risk of bias, consistency, directness, precision, and generalizability.

Results: We included 33 articles from 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 1 prospective cohort study. Of the 8 RCTs that delivered omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements during pregnancy alone (200-2200 mg/d DHA and 0-1100 mg/d EPA for approximately 20 wk), 5 studies reported ≥1 finding that supplementation improved measures of cognitive development in the infant or child by 6%-11% (P < 0.05), but all 8 studies also reported ≥1 nonsignificant (P > 0.05) result. There was inconsistent or insufficient evidence for other outcomes (language, social-emotional, physical, motor, or visual development; academic performance; risks of attention deficit disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, or depression) and for supplementation during lactation or both pregnancy and lactation. Populations with a lower socioeconomic status and adolescents were underrepresented and studies lacked racial and ethnic diversity.

Conclusions: Limited evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy may result in favorable cognitive development in the child. There was insufficient evidence to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy and/or lactation on other developmental outcomes.

Keywords: anxiety; attention deficit disorder; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; autism spectrum disorder; cognition; depression; lactation; omega-3 fatty acids; pregnancy; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Analytic framework for the question related to the relationship between omega-3 fatty acid supplementation before and during pregnancy and/or lactation and neurodevelopment in the child.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Flowchart of literature and screening results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • DHA and Cognitive Development.
    Carlson SE, Colombo J. Carlson SE, et al. J Nutr. 2021 Nov 2;151(11):3265-3266. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab299. J Nutr. 2021. PMID: 34590117 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

    1. Mochizuki K, Hariya N, Honma K, Goda T. Relationship between epigenetic regulation, dietary habits, and the developmental origins of health and disease theory. Congenit Anom (Kyoto). 2017;57(6):184–90. - PubMed
    1. O'Donnell KJ, Meaney MJ. Fetal origins of mental health: the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis. Am J Psychiatry. 2017;174(4):319–28. - PubMed
    1. Prado EL, Dewey KG. Nutrition and brain development in early life. Nutr Rev. 2014;72(4):267–84. - PubMed
    1. Vahratian A. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among women of childbearing age: Results from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Matern Child Health J. 2009;13(2):268–73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. USDA, US Department of Health Human Services. Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020. 9th ed. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2020.

Publication types

Substances