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Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and cognition in VLBW infants at 8 years: an RCT

Astrid Nylander Almaas1, Christian K Tamnes2, Britt Nakstad3

  • 1Akershus University Hospital and Faculty Division AHUS, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and astrid.almaas@medisin.uio.no.

Pediatrics
|May 20, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Supplementing very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) did not improve cognitive functions or brain structure at age 8. This randomized controlled trial found no long-term benefits from the supplementation.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal nutrition
  • Neurodevelopmental research
  • Pediatric neurology

Background:

  • Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are at risk for neurodevelopmental deficits.
  • Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA), are crucial for brain development.
  • Previous studies suggested potential benefits of DHA and AA supplementation in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term effects of DHA and AA supplementation on cognitive functions in VLBW infants.
  • To assess the impact of DHA and AA supplementation on neuroanatomical development using MRI.
  • To investigate the hypothesis that supplementation improves cognitive outcomes and brain structure.

Main Methods:

  • Follow-up of a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving 129 VLBW infants.
  • Supplementation with high-dose DHA (0.86%) and AA (0.91%) in human milk-fed infants.
  • Cognitive assessments and cerebral MRI scans were performed at 8 years of age in 98 and 81 children, respectively.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were observed in cognitive measures between the DHA/AA supplemented group and the placebo group.
  • MRI data revealed no significant group differences in segmental brain volumes or cerebral cortex volume, area, and thickness.
  • The supplementation did not demonstrate a measurable impact on neuroanatomical development at 8 years of age.

Conclusions:

  • This is the first long-term follow-up study assessing both cognitive and neuroanatomical outcomes of DHA and AA supplementation in VLBW infants.
  • Supplementation with DHA and AA to human milk-fed VLBW infants showed no detectable cognitive or neuroanatomical benefits at 8 years of age.
  • The findings do not support the routine use of high-dose DHA and AA supplementation for improving long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in VLBW infants.
Abstract

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