Omega-3 linked to neural development of premature baby girls

CHICAGO Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids may help in the neural development of premature baby girls, according to research published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“A DHA [docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid] dose of approximately 1% total fatty acids in early life did not increase [the Bayley Mental Development Index] scores of preterm infants overall born earlier than 33 weeks but did improve the MDI scores of girls,” researchers reported.

The MDI among girls fed the high-DHA diet was higher than girls fed standard DHA in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. The MDI among boys did not differ between groups.