Seafood ChoiCeS

Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11762.html
SEAFOOD ChOICES
between cord and maternal red blood cell EPA/DHA and either eczema at
18 to 30 months (p>0.05) or wheezing at 30 to 42 months (p>0.05). These
findings do not provide strong support for the hypothesis that exposure
to omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil in utero or through breast milk could
decrease the incidence of wheezing and atopic disease in early childhood
(see Appendix Table B-1e).
Summary of Evidence
The strongest evidence of benefit for higher maternal seafood or EPA/
DHA intake is an increase in gestation duration, with anticipated benefits
to the newborn. Populations or subgroups within populations who have
the lowest baseline consumption of seafood may show the greatest benefit
in duration of gestation with higher EPA/DHA intake. Observational and
experimental studies offer evidence that maternal DHA intake can benefit
development of the offspring; however, there are large gaps in knowledge
that need to be filled by experimental studies.
The average EPA/DHA intake among US women is considerably below
that of most other populations in the world and the majority of the data
on benefits to infants and children from increased DHA levels comes from
populations outside the United States and/or from studies using supplementation
rather than seafood consumption.
BENEFITS TO INFANTS FROM POSTNATAL SUPPLEMENTATION
THROUGH FORMULA
Although the focus of this report is seafood intake, the committee
reviewed evidence for benefits associated with DHA-supplemented infant
formulas to consider whether this data supports the previously discussed
findings on benefits associated with seafood consumption or fish-oil supplementation
in pregnant and lactating women. Formula-fed infants have
much lower red blood cell phospholipid DHA levels than breastfed infants
(Putnam et al., 1982; Carlson et al., 1986; Sanders and Naismith, 1979).
DHA supplementation may increase brain DHA levels and improve visual
acuity and various behavioral domains that are dependent upon brain function.
Since 2002, infant formulas supplemented with DHA from algal oil
in combination with a fungal source of AA have been commercially available
in the United States. Randomized clinical trials have been conducted
using a variety of sources of EPA/DHA including fish oil, tuna eye socket
oil, egg phospholipid, total egg lipids, and algal oils to test for associations
between DHA supplementation and improved developmental outcomes in
formula-fed infants.
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