The long and short of it: long-chain fatty acids and long-term outcomes for premature infants.

Abstract

Dietary supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) for preterm infants has been a matter of intense interest since the early 1990s. The initial clinical studies from that time period demonstrated that adding omega-3 LCPUFA (mainly from marine oils) to the infant formulas of the day resulted in improved visual and retinal outcomes for preterm infants fed the supplemented formulas compared with those fed nonsupplemented formulas.1–3 Until that time, formulas intended for preterm infants were devoid of LCPUFA. These and other studies4 were designed to provide formula-fed preterm infants a dietary exposure to LCPUFA similar to that of the human milk–fed preterm infant; that is, ∼20 mg/kg per day or 0.2% to 0.3% of total fatty acids as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which represents the median daily intake of most infants in resource-rich countries. These trials showed that LCPUFA supplementation of preterm infant formulas was safe. They also reported on the efficacy of various short-term outcomes of … Address correspondence to Maria Makrides, PhD, Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute, Level 7 Clarence Rieger Building, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 72 King William Rd, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia. E-mail: maria.makrides{at}health.sa.gov.au