Maternal DHA supplementation during pregnancy and offspring blood pressure at age 5y: follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial in Mexico (804.21)

Abstract

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in adults results in blood pressure improvements. The influence of prenatal DHA supplementation on blood pressure (BP) in childhood remains relatively unexplored. We investigated the effect of DHA supplementation during pregnancy on offspring blood pressure at age 5 y. In a double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial conducted in Mexico (POSGRAD), pregnant women were supplemented daily with 400 mg DHA or placebo from 18‐22 wk gestation to parturition. In the present follow up study, the blood pressure of 802 offspring children at age 5 years (82.4% of the birth cohort) was measured, using an automated blood pressure monitor (OMRON 711). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were recorded as the average of three readings (SBP; mean +SD 93.1 + 8.2mmHg and DBP; 56.7 + 6.4mmHg).Between group differences in mean BP (DHA ‐ placebo) were: SBP, 0.56 (95% CI ‐0.50, 1.61) mmHg; and DBP, 0.15 (95% CI ‐0.72, 1.02) mmHg, after adjustment by side of the arm in which the measurement was performed, age at follow‐up, gender, child height and overweight status at age 5y, and maternal overweight at recruitment. Despite improvements in DHA status at birth, this study shows that prenatal DHA supplementation did not affect offspring blood pressure in early childhood.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NIH (HD058818; HDO43099), March of Dimes Foundation and CONACYT no.SALUD‐2008‐01‐87121