MJA – Oily Fish Benefits Childhood Asthma

Hodge L, Salome CM, Peat JK, Haby MM, Xuan W, Woolcock AJ.

Source

Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the association between diet and airway disease in children in the light of epidemiological studies suggesting that consumption of fish more than once a week reduces the risk of developing airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).

DESIGN:

Diet was assessed by a detailed food frequency questionnaire and airway disease by respiratory symptoms or airway responsiveness to exercise.

METHODS:

A questionnaire, containing questions about the frequency of eating more than 200 foods, was sent to the parents of 574 children in whom we had measured recent wheeze (by questionnaire), AHR (by exercise) and atopy (by skin prick tests) six months before this study. We defined current asthma as the presence of both recent wheeze and AHR.

RESULTS:

Response rate to the questionnaire was 81.5% (n=468.) After adjusting for confounders such as sex, ethnicity, country of birth, atopy, respiratory infection in the first two years of life and a parental history of asthma or smoking, children who ate fresh, oily fish (>2% fat) had a significantly reduced risk of current asthma (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.72; P<0.01). No other food groups or nutrients were significantly associated with either an increased or reduced risk of current asthma.

CONCLUSION:

These data suggest that consumption of oily fish may protect against asthma in childhood.

Comment in

• Med J Aust. 1996 Feb 5;164(3):135-6.

PMID:

 

8628130

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Diab - Cod Liver Oil Taken During Pregnancy May Reduce Risk For Type-1 Diabetes

Stene LC, Ulriksen J, Magnus P, Joner G.

Source

Section of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Erratum in

• Diabetologia 2000 Nov;43(11):1451.

Abstract

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS:

To test whether cod liver oil or vitamin D supplements either taken by the mother during pregnancy or by the child in the first year of life is associated with lower risk of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in children.

METHODS:

We carried out a population-based case control study in Vest-Agder county of Norway, evaluating the use of supplements by a mailed questionnaire. We received responses from 85 diabetic subjects and 1,071 control subjects. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS:

When mothers took cod liver oil during pregnancy their offspring had a lower risk of diabetes. The unadjusted OR was 0.30, 95% CI: (0.12 to 0.75), p = 0.01. This association changed very little and was still significant after adjusting for age, sex, breastfeeding and maternal education. Mothers taking multivitamin supplements during pregnancy [adjusted OR= 1.11, 95% CI: (0.69 to 1.77)], infants taking cod liver oil in the first year of life [adjusted OR = 0.82, 95 % CI: (0.47 to 1.42) and the use of other vitamin D supplements in the first year of life [adjusted OR = 1.27, 95 % CI: (0.70 to 2.31)] was not [corrected] significantly associated with the risk of diabetes.

CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION:

We found that cod liver oil taken during pregnancy was associated with reduced risk of Type I diabetes in the offspring. This suggests that vitamin D or the n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the cod liver oil, or both, have a protective effect against Type I diabetes.

PMID:

 

11043854

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

ERJ - Fish oil given to children with bronchial asthma reduced symptoms

Nagakura T, Matsuda S, Shichijyo K, Sugimoto H, Hata K.

Source

Dept of Paediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects in vitro, and high dietary levels are associated with a lower incidence of inflammatory diseases. However, only limited effects have been demonstrated in asthma. The effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil for 10 months in 29 children with bronchial asthma was investigated in a randomized controlled fashion. In order to minimize the effects of environmental inhaled allergens and diet, this study was performed in a long-term treatment hospital. Subjects received fish oil capsules containing 84 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 36 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or control capsules containing 300 mg olive oil. The daily dosages of EPA and DHA were 17.0-26.8 and 7.3-11.5 mg x kg body weight(-1), respectively. Asthma symptom scores decreased and responsiveness to acetylcholine decreased in the fish oil group but not in the control group. In addition, plasma EPA levels increased significantly only in the fish oil group (p<0.0088). No significant side-effects were observed. The present results suggest that dietary supplementation with fish oil rich in the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid is beneficial for children with bronchial asthma in a strictly controlled environment in terms of inhalant allergens and diet.

PMID:

 

11153584

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

AORL – CLO Benefits Youngsters Prone To Otitis Media

Linday LA, Dolitsky JN, Shindledecker RD, Pippenger CE.

Source

Department of Otolaryngology, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and The College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA. lal14@columbia.edu

Abstract

We measured blood levels of fatty acids, vitamin A, and trace metals in children undergoing ambulatory surgery for placement of tympanostomy tubes and a comparison group having other ambulatory surgical procedures. We then performed a small, outpatient, secondary prevention study using nutritional supplements chosen on the basis of those blood levels. The study subjects had lower levels of red blood cell eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) than did adult controls. Consistent with previous reports, the levels of vitamin A were < or = 40 microg/dL for 69% of our subjects, and the plasma selenium levels for children were lower than published values for adults. We then studied one otitis media (OM) season; 8 children (0.8 to 4.4 years of age) received 1 teaspoon of lemon-flavored cod liver oil (containing both EPA and vitamin A) and 1 half-tablet of a selenium-containing children's chewable multivitamin-mineral tablet per day. During this OM season, study subjects received antibiotics for OM for 12.3% +/- 13.4% (SD; p < .05) fewer days during supplementation than before supplementation. Larger, controlled trials are warranted to assess the utility of cod liver oil (of acceptable purity and taste) and a children's multivitamin-mineral preparation containing selenium, both for the prevention of OM and for the acceptance of delayed prescription of antibiotics for this disorder.

PMID:

 

12126022

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

CEA - Prenatal Omega-3 Supplementation Benefits Neonatal Immune Function

Dunstan JA, Mori TA, Barden A, Beilin LJ, Taylor AL, Holt PG, Prescott SL.

Source

School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

The epidemiological association between higher dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and lower prevalence of asthma, has led to interest in the role of early dietary modification in allergic disease prevention. In this study we examined the effects of maternal n-3 (PUFA)-rich fish oil supplementation on cord blood (CB) IgE and cytokine levels in neonates at risk of developing allergic disease.

METHODS:

In a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 83 atopic pregnant women received either fish oil capsules (n = 40) containing 3.7 g n-3 PUFA/day or placebo capsules (n = 43) from 20 weeks gestation until delivery. CB cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma) and total IgE levels were measured and compared between the two groups. Fatty acid composition of red cell membranes was analysed by gas chromatography and the relationships among PUFA, cytokine and IgE levels were examined.

RESULTS:

Maternal fish oil supplementation resulted in a significant increase in n-3 PUFA levels (P < 0.001) in neonatal erythrocyte membranes. Neonates whose mothers had fish oil supplementation had significantly lower plasma IL-13 (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. There was also a significant inverse relationship between levels of n-3 PUFA in neonatal cell membranes and plasma IL-13. There was no difference in levels of IgE and the other cytokines measured.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study provides preliminary evidence that increasing neonatal n-3 PUFA levels with maternal dietary supplementation can achieve subtle modification of neonatal cytokine levels. Further assessment of immune function and clinical follow-up of these infants will help determine if there are any significant effects on postnatal immune development and expression of allergic disease.

Comment in

• Clin Exp Allergy. 2003 Apr;33(4):412-5.

PMID:

 

12680858

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

JACI – Maternal PUFA Supplementation Reduces Infant Allergy

Dunstan JA, Mori TA, Barden A, Beilin LJ, Taylor AL, Holt PG, Prescott SL.

Source

School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

There is growing interest in the potential role of anti-inflammatory n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) in the prevention of allergic disease.

OBJECTIVE:

We sought to determine whether maternal dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFAs during pregnancy could modify immune responses in infants.

METHODS:

In a randomized, controlled trial 98 atopic, pregnant women received fish oil (3.7 g n-3 PUFAs per day) or placebo from 20 weeks' gestation until delivery. Neonatal PUFA levels and immunologic response to allergens were measured at birth.

RESULTS:

Eighty-three women completed the study. Fish oil supplementation (n = 40) achieved significantly higher proportions of n-3 PUFAs in neonatal erythrocyte membranes (mean +/- SD, 17.75% +/- 1.85% as a percentage of total fatty acids) compared with the control group (n = 43, 13.69% +/- 1.22%, P <.001). All neonatal cytokine (IL-5, IL-13, IL-10, and IFN-gamma) responses (to all allergens) tended to be lower in the fish oil group (statistically significant only for IL-10 in response to cat). Although this study was not designed to examine clinical effects, we noted that infants in the fish oil group were 3 times less likely to have a positive skin prick test to egg at 1 year of age (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.11 to 1.02; P =.055). Although there was no difference in the frequency of atopic dermatitis at 1 year of age, infants in the fish oil group also had significantly less severe disease (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.94; P =.045).

CONCLUSIONS:

These data suggest a potential reduction in subsequent infant allergy after maternal PUFA supplementation. More detailed follow-up studies are required in larger cohorts to establish the robustness of these findings and to ascertain their significance in relation to longer-term modification of allergic disease in children.

PMID:

 

14657879

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

FRR – Fish Oil Helps In Prevention Of Allergic Disease In Early Life

Barden AE, Mori TA, Dunstan JA, Taylor AL, Thornton CA, Croft KD, Beilin LJ, Prescott SL.

Source

School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital Unit, PO Box X2213, Perth, WA, 6847, Australia. abarden@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Abstract

The anti-inflammatory properties of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have suggested a potential role of these nutrients in dietary modification for prevention of allergic disease in early life. As oxidative stress is known to modify antigen presenting cell (APC) signalling and resulting immune responses, we examined the effects of maternal n-3 PUFA supplementation in pregnancy on markers of oxidative stress and APC function in neonates at high risk of allergy. Eighty-three pregnant atopic women were randomised to receive 4 g daily of either fish oil (n = 40) or olive oil (n = 43) capsules in a controlled trial from 20 weeks gestation until delivery. Plasma (cord blood) and urinary F2-isoprostanes were measured as markers of lipid peroxidation. Cord erythrocyte fatty acids and markers of APC function (HLA-DR expression and cytokine responses) were measured and related to levels of plasma F2-isoprostanes. Maternal fish oil supplementation lowered plasma (p < 0.0001) and urinary (p = 0.06) F2-isoprostanes. HLA-DR expression on APC was not different between the groups. In multiple regression analysis, 28.8% of the variance in plasma F2-isoprostanes was explained by positive relationships with erythrocyte arachidonic acid (AA) and monocyte HLA-DR expression and a negative relationship with erythrocyte eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This study shows that maternal supplementation with fish oil can attenuate neonatal lipid peroxidation. Clinical follow-up of these infants will help to determine if there are sustained effects on postnatal oxidative stress and expression of allergic disease.

PMID:

 

15129731

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]