Effect of N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in pregnancy: the Nuheal trial.

In this placebo controlled, randomised, double blind trial, pregnant women received from the 20th week of gestation onwards either 500 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 400 mg 5-methyl-tetra-hydro-folate (5-MTHF), or placebo, or a combination of 500 mg DHA and 400 mg 5-MTHF. The dietary supplements were well tolerated; the dropout rates did not differ significantly in the active arms of the study (10% to 19%) from that seen in the placebo group (13%). DHA supplementation resulted in significant enhancement of the contribution of DHA to maternal, placental and venous cord blood lipids.