Abstract
Many pregnant women avoid dietary fish, the premier source of omega-3 fats, owing to fear of industrial contaminants. This concern, combined with a Western diet relatively deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, has created an imbalance of omega-3 compared with omega-6 fats. This imbalance may lead to a proinflammatory state that contributes to a number of complications, including preterm birth, pregnancy-induced hypertension and postpartum depression. Fetal deficiency of omega-3 fats may place infants at risk for allergic disease and suboptimum neuropsychiatric development. Although a number of studies of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation are suggestive of benefit, other studies have not shown a benefit. More research is needed to elucidate the risks and benefits of fish consumption and dietary omega-3 supplementation in pregnancy.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Ellen Mozurkewich is the Principal Investigator on an NIH-supported randomized controlled trial of fish oil for prevention of depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Ellen Mozurkewich and Deborah Berman are co-investigators on a University of Michigan internal pilot grant of docosahexaenoic acid for neuroprotection in a perinatal rat model. However, these grants did not provide any compensation for writing this manuscript. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.