Babies and children under the age of three are less likely to develop croup if mothers take fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, new findings from a clinical study show. The results were obtained from a randomized trial in Barcelona, Spain, which is the "gold standard" for medical research). This is the first large study to examine the effects of vitamin D and fish oil on diphtheria.
Diphtheria is a viral lung infection that affects young children. This leads to a characteristic "barking" cough, hoarse voice and difficulty breathing. Croup is common and usually mild, but some children need hospital treatment and breathing support.
Search d. Niklas Prestad, MD, is a physician and postdoctoral researcher working on the Copenhagen Prospective Study of Pediatric Asthma (COPSAC) at University Hospital Copenhagen, Denmark.
He told Congress, "There is currently no vaccine against the pathogen that causes this disease. So other prevention strategies are needed, and measures starting during pregnancy may be important because croup occurs in infants and young children. That's why vitamin D and fish. There is some evidence that oil can affect the immune system.
The study included 736 pregnant women treated by COPSAC since 2010. Women were divided into four groups. One group received high-dose vitamin D supplements (2,800 IU per day) and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fish oil (2.4 grams), and the second group received high-dose vitamin D and olive oil. The third group was given a standard dose of vitamin D (400 IU per day) and fish oil, and the last group was given a standard dose of vitamin D and olive oil. All women took the supplement daily from the 24th week of pregnancy until 1 week after the baby was born. Neither the women nor the researchers knew which supplements they would receive until after the study.
The researchers followed the children until they were three years old, and all those with suspected diphtheria were diagnosed either by a doctor or based on their medical records. A total of 97 cases of diphtheria were registered among children.
Overall, children whose mothers took fish oil had an 11% risk of developing diphtheria, and children whose mothers took olive oil had a 17% (38% reduction) risk. Infants whose mothers received high-dose vitamin D had an 11% risk of developing croup, compared to 18% (a 40% reduction) in those whose mothers received standard vitamin D.
Dr Brastad said: "Our results suggest that high-dose vitamin D and fish oil may be beneficial for croup in children. They are relatively inexpensive nutritional supplements, meaning they may be very cost-effective in improving children's health.
"We don't know the exact mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of vitamin D and fish oil, but they may strengthen the immune system of infants and young children to fight off infections more effectively."
The COPSAC research team reviewed other potential benefits of vitamin D and fish oil during pregnancy, including effects on bone growth, central nervous system, body composition, and asthma. The study will continue to follow the children and aims to investigate why some children are more susceptible to childhood infections than others.
Professor Rory Murthy of the University of Heidelberg is director of the European Respiratory Society's Lung and Airway Developmental Biology Group and was not involved in the study. She said: "We know that a mother's lung health can be compromised during pregnancy. For example, children whose mothers smoke have poor lung health. We are increasingly seeing that elements of a mother's diet can either help or hinder a child's lung development. ."
"This study suggests that vitamin D and fish oil supplementation during pregnancy may be beneficial for infants and young children. We would like to see more research in this area to support these findings, as this may lead to new recommendations for supplementation during pregnancy. Women. Supplement you should consult your doctor about any diet before taking it.
research methodRandomized/controlled clinical trials
Research topicnation
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