There is no evidence that PUFA supplementation in infancy has an effect on infant or childhood allergy , asthma , dermatitis/eczema or food allergy .
However , the quality of evidence was very low .
There was insufficient evidence to determine an effect on allergic rhinitis
BACKGROUND Early dietary intakes may influence the development of allergic disease .
It is important to determine if dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs ) given as supplements or added to infant formula prevent the development of allergy .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of higher PUFA intake during infancy to prevent allergic disease .
Evaluation of a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplemented formula on growth, tolerance, and plasma lipids in preterm infants up to 48 weeks postconceptional age.
BACKGROUND The last trimester of pregnancy is a period of rapid accretion of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids , both in the central nervous system and the body as a whole . Human milk contains these fatty acids , whereas some preterm infant formulas do not . Infants fed formulas without these fatty acids have lower plasma and erythrocyte concentrations than infants fed human milk . Pre clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that single-cell sources ( algal and fungal ) of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are bioavailable . A balanced addition of fatty acids from these oils to preterm formula results in blood fatty acid concentrations in low birth weight infants comparable to those of infants fed human milk . METHODS In the present study the growth , acceptance ( overall incidence of discontinuation , reasons for discontinuation , overall incidence and type of individual adverse events ) , and plasma fatty acid concentrations were compared in three groups of infants fed a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid-supplemented preterm infant formula , an unsupplemented control formula , or human milk .  The study was prospect i ve , double-blind ( formula groups only ) , and r and omized ( formula groups only ) . Two hundred eighty-eight infants were enrolled ( supplemented formula group , n = 77 ; control formula group , n = 78 ; human milk group , n = 133 ) . RESULTS Anthropometric measurements at enrollment , at first day of full oral feeding , and at both 40 and 48 weeks postconceptional age did not differ between the formula groups , whereas the human milk-fed group initially grew at a lower rate . The incidence of severe adverse events was rare and not significantly different between formula groups . The groups fed either human milk or supplemented formula had long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations higher than those in the control formula group . CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a preterm formula supplemented with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from single-cell oils
There is no evidence that PUFA supplementation in infancy has an effect on infant or childhood allergy , asthma , dermatitis/eczema or food allergy .
However , the quality of evidence was very low .
There was insufficient evidence to determine an effect on allergic rhinitis
BACKGROUND Early dietary intakes may influence the development of allergic disease .
It is important to determine if dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs ) given as supplements or added to infant formula prevent the development of allergy .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of higher PUFA intake during infancy to prevent allergic disease .