Fish oil in various doses or flax oil in pregnancy and timing of spontaneous delivery: A randomised controlled trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fish oil in various doses or flax oil in pregnancy and timing of spontaneous delivery

T2 - A randomised controlled trial

AU - Knudsen, V.K.

AU - Hansen, Harald S.

AU - Østerdal, M.L.

AU - Mikkelsen, T.B.

AU - Mu, H.

AU - Olsen, S.F.

PY - 2006/5/1

Y1 - 2006/5/1

N2 - Objectives: To test the earlier suggested hypothesis that intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids from fish oil may delay the timing of spontaneous delivery and to test if alpha-linolenic acid, provided as flax oil capsules, shows the same effect. Design: Randomised controlled trial including women reporting low dietary fish intake. The women were allocated in the proportions of 1:1:1:1:1:1:2 into six treatment groups and a control group, respectively, from week 17-27 of gestation. The treatment groups received fish oil, in various doses, or flax oil, and the control group did not receive any treatment. Setting: The Danish National Birth Cohort. Sample: A total of 3098 women allocated into six treatment groups and one control group. Methods: The six intervention groups were offered fish oil capsules in doses of 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.4 and 2.8 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid per day or 2.2 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per day from week 17-27 of gestation until delivery. Main outcome measures: Timing of spontaneous delivery. Results: No differences in timing of spontaneous delivery was detected in the fish oil groups or the flax oil group, compared with the control group. The difference in timing of spontaneous delivery in the group receiving the highest fish oil dose compared with the control group was 0.8 days (95% CI: -2.3 to 1.0). Only a minority of the women in the intervention groups took capsules until delivery. Conclusion: Possible explanations for these findings include no true effect of n-3 fatty acids on spontaneous delivery or a quick-acting effect not detectable in this trial.

AB - Objectives: To test the earlier suggested hypothesis that intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids from fish oil may delay the timing of spontaneous delivery and to test if alpha-linolenic acid, provided as flax oil capsules, shows the same effect. Design: Randomised controlled trial including women reporting low dietary fish intake. The women were allocated in the proportions of 1:1:1:1:1:1:2 into six treatment groups and a control group, respectively, from week 17-27 of gestation. The treatment groups received fish oil, in various doses, or flax oil, and the control group did not receive any treatment. Setting: The Danish National Birth Cohort. Sample: A total of 3098 women allocated into six treatment groups and one control group. Methods: The six intervention groups were offered fish oil capsules in doses of 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 1.4 and 2.8 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid per day or 2.2 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) per day from week 17-27 of gestation until delivery. Main outcome measures: Timing of spontaneous delivery. Results: No differences in timing of spontaneous delivery was detected in the fish oil groups or the flax oil group, compared with the control group. The difference in timing of spontaneous delivery in the group receiving the highest fish oil dose compared with the control group was 0.8 days (95% CI: -2.3 to 1.0). Only a minority of the women in the intervention groups took capsules until delivery. Conclusion: Possible explanations for these findings include no true effect of n-3 fatty acids on spontaneous delivery or a quick-acting effect not detectable in this trial.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33645982257&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2006.00895.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2006.00895.x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 16579802

AN - SCOPUS:33645982257

VL - 113

SP - 536

EP - 543

JO - Ny Poetik (ISSN 0908-1410)

JF - Ny Poetik (ISSN 0908-1410)

IS - 5

ER -