Fish oil would limit premature births

For a long time, pregnant women have been warned to limit oily fish and avoid certain fish because of concerns with pollutants and exposure to mercury. However, according to scientists, those who consume more omega-3 fatty acids are much less likely to give birth before the end. Researchers have recently discovered that taking fish oil supplements daily during pregnancy can reduce the chance of preterm birth by 42%.. The results are so compelling that they suggest that pregnant women start taking cod liver oil tablets every day from 12 weeks of age.

The study found that an 11% increase in fatty acids found in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel reduced the risk of a baby's birth by 11% in 37 weeks. The risk of giving birth before 34 weeks falls by 42% and the chances of having a small baby with less than 2.4 kg decrease by 10%.
There are currently few solutions to prevent premature births. However, it is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age worldwide. Scientists suggest that taking a daily capsule containing between 500 and 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids after 12 weeks may help reduce the risk.

Researchers at the Institute of Health and Medicine Research at the University of Adelaide in Australia (SAHMRI) and the Women's and Children's Hospital analyzed the test results with 20,000 women. They examined two types of omega 3 fatty acids – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in salmon and fish oils, including cod liver oil.

They found that there was "evidence of high quality"that omega-3 supplements were an effective strategy to reduce preterm births. Experts believe this could work by reducing the power of the hormones that lead to premature birth. "Because there are not many options for preventing preterm birth, these new discoveries are very important for pregnant women, babies and health care providers." We still do not fully understand the causes of preterm birth. Therefore, predicting and preventing preterm birth has always been a challenge, which is one reason why omega-3 supplements during pregnancy are of great interest to researchers worldwide.said Philippa Middleton of SAHMRI, adding that it was important to ensure that the capsules contained at least 500 mg of DHA.

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