Prenatal Supplementation with Docosahexaenoic Acid Has No Effect on Growth through 60 Months of Age.

Background: Prenatal supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been shown to increase birth size, but it is unclear whether these differences translate into improved postnatal growth.

Objective: We assessed the effect of prenatal supplementation with DHA on offspring weight, length, and body mass index (BMI) through 60 mo of age.

Methods: We examined growth patterns (height, weight, and BMI) in a cohort of 802 Mexican children whose mothers participated in a randomized, controlled trial of daily supplementation with 400 mg/d of DHA or a placebo from week 18-22 of gestation through delivery, with the use of a longitudinal multilevel model of growth.

Results: Overall, means ± SDs of height-, weight-, and BMI-for-age z scores relative to WHO growth standards at 60 mo were -0.49 ± 0.91, -1.15 ± 1.07 and 0.13 ± 1.11, respectively. There were no significant differences by treatment group (all P > 0.05) for height, weight, or BMI at any age through 60 mo. Similarly, DHA did not affect the average growth or the trajectories for these measures through 60 mo.

Conclusion: Prenatal DHA supplementation did not affect height, weight, or BMI through 60 mo of age. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00646360.