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 .
Are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids essential nutrients in infancy?
We investigated whether the disparity in neural maturation between breastfed and formula-fed term infants could be corrected by the addition of fish oil , a source of docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA , 22:6 omega 3 ) , to infant formula . Healthy , term infants were r and omised at birth to receive either a supplemented or placebo formula if their mothers had chosen to bottle feed . Breastfed term infants were enrolled as a reference group . Infant erythrocyte fatty acids and anthropometry were assessed on day 5 and at 6 , 16 , and 30 weeks of age . Visual evoked potential ( VEP ) acuity was determined at 16 and 30 weeks . VEP acuities of breastfed and supplemented-formula-fed infants were better than those of placebo-formula-fed infants at both 16 and 30 weeks of age ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 ) . Erythrocyte DHA in breastfed and supplemented-formula-fed infants was maintained near birth levels throughout the 30-week study period but fell in placebo-formula-fed infants ( p < 0.001 ) . Erythrocyte DHA was the only fatty acid that consistently correlated with VEP acuity in all infants at both ages tested . A continuous supply of DHA may be required to achieve optimum VEP acuity since infants breastfed for short periods ( < 16 weeks ) had slower development of VEP than infants receiving a continuous supply of DHA from either breastmilk or supplemented formula . Erythrocyte arachidonic acid ( 20:4 omega 6 ) in supplemented-formula-fed infants was reduced below that of infants fed breastmilk or placebo formula at 16 and 30 weeks ( p < 0.001 ) , although no adverse effects were noted , with growth of all infants being similar . DHA seems to be an essential nutrient for the optimum neural maturation of term infants as assessed by VEP acuity . Whether supplementation of formula-fed infants with DHA has long-term benefits remains to be eluci date
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 .