Neonatal Docosahexaenoic Acid in Preterm Infants and Intelligence at 5 Years

Journal:
The New England Journal of Medicine
Published:
DOI:
10.1056/nejmoa2206868
Affiliations:
15
Authors:
16
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Research Highlight

Providing brain chemical after birth could help preterm babies

© IvanJekic/E+/Getty Images

Giving omega-3 fatty-acid supplements to preterm babies could help improve their intelligence later in life.

Infants born before the final trimester, have lower levels of an omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — an important component of brain tissue. But it’s not known how this deficiency affects their subsequent cognitive development.

Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia has compared the cognitive performances of five year olds who were given DHA supplements after being born prematurely with a control group who weren’t.

They found a modest increase in the IQ scores of the children who had received the DHA supplements. This suggests that supplements are an effective strategy for improving brain function by compensating for DHA deficiency in preterm babies.

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References

  1. The New England Journal of Medicine 387, 1579–1588 (2022). doi: 10.1056/nejmoa2206868
Institutions Authors Share
Women and Kids, SAHMRI, Australia
4.166667
 0.26
The University of Adelaide (Adelaide Uni), Australia
3.500000
 0.22
The University of Western Australia (UWA), Australia
1.500000
 0.09
Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), Australia
1.416667
 0.09
The University of Melbourne (UniMelb), Australia
1.166667
 0.07
Mercy Hospital for Women, UniMelb, Australia
1.000000
 0.06
John Hunter Hospital, Australia
1.000000
 0.06
The Royal Women's Hospital, Australia
0.916667
 0.06
Monash University, Australia
0.500000
 0.03
King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women (KEMH), Australia
0.500000
 0.03
Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH), SA Health, Australia
0.333333
 0.02