Abstract
Omega-3 oils improve the way preterm infants see the world
Dr Lisa Smithers
PhD awarded 2006, University of Adelaide
Medical scientist and Postdoctoral research fellow,
Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute
Survival of preterm babies has improved with advances in medical care, but preterm babies continue to have a life-long increased risk of poorer development. DHA is an omega-3 oil that may be important for development. Throughout pregnancy DHA usually accumulates in the growing baby’s brain and visual system. Preterm babies are denied the usual DHA supply and rely upon milk to meet their needs, however both breast milk and formula supply lower amounts of DHA than provided during a full-term pregnancy.
I conducted a clinical trial to test whether the vision of preterm babies could be improved by increasing milk DHA from typical levels to a higher amount similar to that supplied during pregnancy. Breast milk DHA was increased by supplementing mothers with tuna oil, which raised DHA levels four times higher than breast milk of mothers who took a placebo supplement. If formula was required, DHA was added to formula at levels matching the high or normal DHA diet. No differences in vision were found at 2 months of age, but by 4 months, babies who were fed higher DHA could see a finer pattern than those fed the usual amount of DHA.
This research shows that milk with higher DHA can improve the visual development of preterm babies. More mature visual function may influence other aspects of development so we are testing whether higher milk DHA can lead to improvements in other areas of development.
