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Effect of maternal n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy and/or lactation on adiposity in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 68, pages 1277–1287 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

It is hypothesized that prenatal and early postnatal exposure to n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) is negatively associated with adiposity later in life. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate whether maternal n-3 LCPUFA supplementation in pregnancy and/or lactation exerts a beneficial effect on adiposity status in childhood. We searched six electronic databases till 20 May 2014 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of n-3 LCPUFA supplementation to pregnant and/or lactating women that reported data on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, sum of skinfold thicknesses or body fat mass in children. Adiposity measures were grouped into three age categories: preschool children (<5 years), school-aged children (6–12 years), and adolescents (>13 years). Trial quality was assessed. We conducted fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses to combine study-specific estimates of differences between the supplemented and control groups. A total of 6 RCTs (9 publications) involving 2847 participants were included. Summary estimates showed no effect of maternal supplementation on BMI in preschool (standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI)=−0.22, 0.36, P=0.65) and school-aged children (SMD=0.12, 95% CI=−0.06, 0.30, P=0.20). Because of sparse data, it was not possible to pool study results relating to other adiposity measures. There is currently no evidence to support that n-3 LCPUFA supplementation during pregnancy and/or lactation favourably affects child adiposity. Further high-quality trials are needed.

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  • 02 September 2014

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Acknowledgements

We thank Lotte Lauritzen and Hans Hauner for providing requested information at the initial stages of the research.

Author Contributions

All the authors were involved in the design and development of the research; NS and MG reviewed the data; NS conducted the analyses and wrote the manuscript; MG, LC and MPZ contributed to the scientific interpretation of the results and commented on drafts of the manuscript; and NS had primary responsibility for the final content. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, NUTRIM, School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, and the Section of Complex Genetics, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands,

    N Stratakis, M Gielen & M P Zeegers

  2. Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

    N Stratakis & L Chatzi

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Stratakis, N., Gielen, M., Chatzi, L. et al. Effect of maternal n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy and/or lactation on adiposity in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Clin Nutr 68, 1277–1287 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.158

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