Asthma
CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE IN UTERO ENVIRONMENT ON THE HEALTH OF THE DEVELOPING INFANT (05-04-09)
Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in the offspring
Wow. At some point we will really, really stand up and start to realize the critical importance of the in utero environment on the short and long term health of that developing infant. Some effects won’t be realized for decades after birth; some noted within a few years.
This particular study, while small, showed a massive 63% reduction in asthma and an 87% reduction in allergic asthma in pregnant women given 2.3 g of omega 3 fatty acids during pregnancy. These number may be even lower because they were compared to an olive oil group, and olive oil might be expected to have a positive impact on asthma development as well. Talk about a simple, safe intervention that could have a massive impact on healthcare utilization. Too bad the mass healthcare media isn’t interested in prevention.
