New
studies: Omega-3s and depression, mothers, infants
1)
More exiting news about omega-3/EPA and depression; 2) News
about how important omega-3 is for mothers and the infants.
1.
More exiting news about omega-3/EPA and depression
Randomized, placebo-controlled study of ethyl-eicosapentaenoic
Acid as supplemental treatment in schizophrenia. Emsley
Robin; Myburgh Christo; Oosthuizen Pieter; Van Rensburg
Susan J
American journal of psychiatry; 159 (9) p1596-8
OBJECTIVE:
The study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of
ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA) as add-on treatment
in chronic, severe schizophrenia.
METHOD:
A randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
fixed-dose, add-on study was conducted over 12 weeks. Forty
patients with persistent symptoms after at least 6 months
of stable antipsychotic treatment received E-EPA or placebo,
in addition to their existing treatment.
RESULTS:
At 12 weeks, the E-EPA group had significantly greater reduction
of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total scores and
of dyskinesia scores than the placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS: EPA may be an effective and well-tolerated
add-on treatment in schizophrenia.
2. News about how important omega-3 is for mothers
and the infants
More confirm news how important omega-3/DHA is for the infants
and mothers, who need to have a high intake of DHA during
pregnancy and this have also an impact on sleep pattern
for the newborn (a more quiet sleep).
Relationship
between Omega3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status
during early infancy and neurodevelopmental status at 1
year of age.
Voigt R G; Jensen C L; Fraley J K; Rozelle J C; Brown F
R; Heird W C; Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics,
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston,
TX, USA. voigt.robert@mayo.edu; Journal of human nutrition
and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic
Association; 15 (2) p111-20
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the influence of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA;
18: 3omega3) intake and, hence, the influence of plasma
and/or erythrocyte phospholipid content of docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA; 22: 6omega3) during early infancy on neurodevelopmental
outcome of term infants.
METHODS:
The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (second edition),
the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory
Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) and the Gross Motor Scale of
the Revised Gesell Developmental Inventory were administered
at a mean age of 12.26 +/- 0.94 months to 44 normal term
infants enrolled in a study evaluating the effects of infant
formulas differing only in ALA content (0.4, 1.0, 1.7 and
3.2% of total fatty acids).
RESULTS:
As reported previously [Jensen et al., Lipids 13 (1996)
107; J. Pediatr. 131 (1997) 200], the group fed the formula
with the lowest ALA content had the lowest mean plasma and
erythrocyte phospholipid DHA contents at 4 months of age.
This group also had the lowest mean score on every neurodevelopmental
measure. The difference in mean gross motor developmental
quotient of this group versus the group fed the formula
with 1.0% ALA but not of the other groups was statistically
significant (P < 0.05). Across the groups, motor indices
correlated positively with each other and with the plasma
phospholipid DHA content at 4 months of age (P=0.02-0.03).
The CLAMS developmental quotient correlated with the
erythrocyte phospholipid content of 20 : 5omega3 (P <
0.01) but not with DHA.
CONCLUSIONS:
These statistically significant correlations suggest that
the Omega3 fatty acid status during early infancy may be
important with respect to neurodevelopmental status at 1
year of age and highlight the need for further studies of
this possibility.
Higher
maternal plasma docosahexaenoic acid during pregnancy is
associated with more mature neonatal sleep-state patterning.
Cheruku
Sunita R; Montgomery-Downs Hawley E; Farkas Susanna L; Thoman
Evelyn B; Lammi-Keefe Carol J Department of Nutritional
Sciences (SRC, SLF, and CJL-K) and the Biobehavioral Sciences
Graduate Program (EBT and HEM-D), the University of Connecticut,
Storrs.| American journal of clinical nutrition; 76 (3)
p608-13
BACKGROUND:
The effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the developing
fetal central nervous system (CNS) and related functional
outcomes in
infancy remain unexplored. Sleep and wake states of newborns
provide a tool for assessing the functional integrity of
the CNS.
OBJECTIVE:
We investigated whether CNS integrity in newborns, measured
with sleep recordings, was associated with maternal concentrations
of long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially DHA.
DESIGN:
Plasma phospholipid fatty acid concentrations were measured
in 17 women at
parturition. On postpartum day 1 (P1) and day 2 (P2), a
pressure-sensitive pad under the infants' bedding recorded
body movements and respiratory patterns to measure sleep
and wake states.
RESULTS:
Maternal plasma phospholipid DHA ranged from 1.91% to 4.5%
by wt of total fatty acids. On the basis of previously published
data and the median DHA concentration, the women were divided
into 2 groups: high DHA (> 3.0% by wt of total fatty
acids) and low DHA ( Correlations of maternal DHA status
with infant sleep states were consistent with these data.
Also, the ratio of maternal n-6 to n-3 fatty acids on P1
was inversely associated with QS and positively associated
with arousals in QS. On P2, maternal n-6:n-3 was positively
associated with AS, sleep-wake transition, and AS:QS.
CONCLUSION:
The sleep patterns of infants born to mothers with higher
plasma phospholipid DHA suggest greater CNS maturity.
Perinatal
supply and metabolism of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty
acids: importance for the early development of the nervous
system.
Larque
Elvira; Demmelmair Hans; Koletzko Berthold
Division of Metabolism and Nutrition, Kinderklinik and
Kinderpoliklinik, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital,
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences; 967 p299-310
The
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic (AA)
and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential structural
lipid components of biomembranes. During pregnancy, long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are preferentially
transferred from mother to fetus across the placenta. This
placental transfer is mediated by specific fatty acid binding
and transfer proteins. After birth, preterm and full-term
babies are capable of converting linoleic and alpha-linolenic
acids into AA and DHA, respectively, as demonstrated by
studies using stable isotopes, but the activity of this
endogenous LC-PUFA synthesis is very low. Breast milk provides
preformed LC-PUFA, and breast-fed infants have higher LC-PUFA
levels in plasma and tissue phospholipids than infants fed
conventional formulas. Supplementation of formulas with
different sources of LC-PUFA can normalize LC-PUFA status
in the recipient infants relative to reference groups fed
human milk. Some, but not all, randomized, double-masked
placebo-controlled clinical trials in preterm and healthy
full-term infants demonstrated benefits of formula supplementation
with DHA and AA for development of visual acuity up to 1
year of age and of complex neural and cognitive functions.
From the available data, we conclude that LC-PUFA are conditionally
essential substrates during early life that are related
to the quality of growth and development. Therefore, a dietary
supply during pregnancy, lactation, and early childhood
that avoids the
occurrence of LC-PUFA depletion is desirable, as was recently
recommended by an expert consensus workshop of the Child
Health Foundation.
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