High-dose DHA supplements reduce risk for early preterm birth

Women who took 1,000 mg of docosohexanoic acid, or DHA, during pregnancy were less likely to have an early preterm birth than those who took 200 mg of DHA, according to researchers.

“Early preterm birth, defined as birth before 34 weeks gestation, is of great concern as these births result in the highest risk of infant mortality, child disability and societal cost,” Susan E. Carlson, PhD, the associate dean for research, program director of Doctorate in Medical Nutrition Science and AJ Rice Professor of Nutrition at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and colleagues wrote.

Carlson and colleagues conducted a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, adaptive-design superiority trial of women with singleton pregnancies who were 12 to 20 weeks gestation. Among the study population, 576 women received 1,000 mg of DHA daily and 524 women received 200 mg of DHA daily. The study’s primary outcome was early preterm birth by dose and enrollment DHA status.

The rate of early preterm birth was 1.7% among participants who received 1,000 mg of DHA and 2.4% among those who received 200 mg of DHA, according to the researchers. Among those who had low DHA status at enrollment, participants in the 1,000-mg group had lower rates of early preterm birth (2% vs. 4.1%).

The higher DHA dose was also associated with fewer serious adverse events, including chorioamnionitis, premature rupture of membranes and pyelonephritis, as well as feeding, genitourinary and neurologic problems, according to the researchers. They also wrote that participants who had high DHA status at enrollment “did not realize a dose effect” (1,000 mg, 1.4% vs. 200 mg, 1.1%).

“The results of this randomized clinical trial show that a daily supplement of 1,000 mg DHA is likely better than 200 mg in reducing [early preterm birth] less than 34 weeks, and very likely better among pregnant individuals with low DHA status,” Carlson and colleagues wrote.