DHA Supplementation during Pregnancy and Lactation Affects Infants' Immune Response
Author Information
Author(s): Esther Granot, Einat Jakobovich, Ruth Rabinowitz, Paloma Levy, Michael Schlesinger
Primary Institution: Kaplan Medical Center
Hypothesis
Does DHA supplementation during pregnancy and lactation affect infants' immune response?
Conclusion
DHA supplementation during pregnancy and lactation did not change the humoral immune response in infants but did affect their lymphocyte profile and cytokine production.
Supporting Evidence
- Infants of mothers receiving DHA had a higher percentage of CD4 naïve cells.
- CD8 cells producing IFNγ were significantly lower in the DHA group.
- Immunoglobulin levels did not differ between the two groups.
Takeaway
Moms who took DHA while pregnant and breastfeeding had babies with different immune cells, but it didn't change their overall immune response.
Methodology
60 women were studied, with 30 receiving DHA supplements and 30 not; blood samples from infants were analyzed for immune responses.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the religious beliefs affecting participation in the control group.
Limitations
The study was limited to a specific religious community, which may affect generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Mothers aged 20-35 years, in their ≥3rd pregnancy, from an ultraorthodox religious community.
Statistical Information
P-Value
n.s.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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