Sioux Falls, SD—OmegaQuant shared the news that theOffice of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) updated its guidance for health professionalsregarding the role of docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) in the prevention of preterm and early preterm birth. Long-chain omega-3s have been linked to reduced the risk of preterm birth, OmegaQuant added,so experts recommend all women of childbearing age consume at least 250-mg per day of DHA plus EPA from diet or supplements, plus an additional 100- to 200-mg per day of DHA during pregnancy.
Noting that most women who are pregnant do not meet the recommended intake,ODS states in its guidance: “When combined with EPA, the total average daily intake of DHA plus EPA from food is 78.7 mg and the average daily intake from food and supplements is 97.7 mg.” Regarding safety, ODS pointed to a 2024 clinical practice guideline that stated intakes up to 1,000-mg per day of DHA or DHA and EPA do not raise safety concerns in women who are pregnant, and especially those at risk for preterm birth.
OmegaQuant reported that, regarding preterm birth specifically, ODS said while results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not shown consistent benefits from maternal supplementation with EPA and/or DHA during pregnancy on infant cognition or visual development, long-chain omega-3 supplements, particularly DHA, have been shown to reduce the risk of preterm and early preterm birth. ODS also highlighted a 2022 statement from the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) that included two large trials that were published after the 2018 Cochrane Review confirming the relationship between DHA and preterm birth. ISSFAL's statement highlighted a 12% reduction in risk of preterm birth and a 35% reduction in risk of early preterm birth among those taking long-chain omega-3 supplements.
“This is an important step forward since a major agency of the US government has finally officially recognized that a marine omega-3 – DHA – can reduce risk for a human health condition — preterm birth,” said Dr. Bill Harris, President of the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI), in the press release. “Hopefully, this will open the door for other agencies to make specific omega-3 recommendations for other conditions.”
“We are happy to see the recommendation for the use of omega-3s in pregnancy by the Office of Dietary Supplements,” commented Dr. Kristina Harris Jackson, Director of Research for OmegaQuant Analytics. “Our goal is to help clinicians and individuals implement these recommendations to help move the needle on improving pregnancy outcomes for women in the US and worldwide.”
OmegaQuant also spotlighted its Prenatal DHA and Mother’s Milk DHA tests as ways to help women measure, modify and monitor their DHA status in blood and breast milk. Dr. Jackson noted,“We believe women should not only be in interested in their intake of this important nutrient but equally so when it comes to knowing their blood or milk level of DHA. That’s why we highly encourage women to make sure they measure their DHA level before, during and after pregnancy.”
Read the rest of ODS's recommendations in Dietary Supplements and Life Stages: Pregnancy.
