In the news: Omega-3 Lowers Risk of Premature Birth; Choose Organic Foods When Possible

Premature Births a Global Problem

Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under 5 years old worldwide, according to the authors of a new review on omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and premature birth. And it’s not just a challenge facing poorer, developing countries. Pre-mature birth is the leading cause of newborn death here in the US as well. Also concerning is that the rate of preterm births in the US has risen over each of the past 3 years.

While most pregnancies last between 38 and 42 weeks, babies born before the 37-week mark are considered premature. According to the Centers for Disease Control, preterm babies remain at a higher risk of having problems later in life, like cerebral palsy, vision and hearing problems – and the earlier a baby is born, the greater the risk of poor health.

Omega-3s Reduce Risk of Preterm Births

The independent Cochrane Reviews is internationally recognized as the most rigorous kind of critical review in the health care field. An Australian team of researchers recently conducted a Cochrane review, with the aim of assessing whether high-quality evidence supports omega-3 supplementation as an effective strategy for preventing premature births (1).

The team looked at over 70 clinical trials involving nearly 20,000 women that compared increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) as supplements or foods to placebo during pregnancy. They found that higher omega-3 intake reduces the risk for having a:

• premature baby (less than 37 weeks) by 11%;
• earlier premature baby (less than 34 weeks) by 42%;
• small newborn (less than 5.5 lbs) by 10%.

The new review is an update of a similar review conducted in 2006. That review concluded that more evidence was needed to support the routine use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy.

In contrast, the 2018 update concludes that high-quality evidence now supports such supplementation for helping to prevent premature births.

Based on the review, an optimal dose appears to be daily supplemental intake of 500-1,000 mg of long-chain omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) containing at least 500 mg of DHA, and commencing at about 3 months of pregnancy.

Advantage of Eating Organic Foods?

A new large-scale study (2) has shown a link between consuming an organic food-based diet and a lower risk of cancer.

The researchers – a French team from the Center of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics – point out that their results need to be confirmed since organic food consumption is difficult to assess. But if their findings hold, choosing organic foods when possible may be advantageous. It’s also good to keep in mind though, that, overall, eating fruits and vegetables is health-promoting, organic or not.

The study examined the diets of nearly 69.000 French adults who were followed about 4 ½ years on average. The participants reported how often they consumed a variety of organic foods – never, occasionally or most of the time.

The highest consumers of organic foods were found to have a 25% reduction in overall cancer risk compared to consumers with a low frequency of organic food intake. For certain cancers the risk was even lower. The researchers observed a 34% decrease in risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, and a 76% decrease in lymphoma cancer.

References

1. Middleton P, et al. Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Nov. 15, 2018.
2. Baudry J, et al. Association of frequency of organic food consumption with cancer risk: Findings from the NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort Study. JAMA 178:1597-1606, 2018