Fish Oil May Decrease Infant Allergy Risk

A new study shows that mothers who take in omega-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) during pregnancy may produce children with a reduced risk of childhood allergies. This is described by the effects of maternal omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy and its impact on lactation and the incidence of allergic disease in infancy.
One hundred and forty-five pregnant women, affected by allergy themselves or having a husband or previous child with allergies, were included in a randomized placebo-controlled trial. They were given daily supplementation with either 1.6 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.1 g docosahexaenoic acid or placebo. Starting at the 25(th) gestational week to average 3-4 months of breastfeeding. By performing skin prick tests on the infants, it was discovered that the prevalence of food allergy was lower in the omega-3 group compared to the placebo group. Also there was a decreased incidence of IgE-associated eczema in the omega-3 group. Meaning that maternal omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may decrease the risk of food allergy and IgE-associated eczema during infancy to one year in a family with history of allergic disease.*

* http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19489765