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 .
Double-blind, randomized trial of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in formula fed to preterm infants.
OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that balanced addition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid ( LCPUFA ) to preterm formula during the first weeks of life would confer long-term neurodevelopmental advantage in a double-blind , r and omized , controlled trial of preterm formula with and without preformed LCPUFA . METHODS The participants were 195 formula-fed preterm infants ( birth weight < 1750 g , gestation < 37 weeks ) from 2 UK neonatal units and 88 breast milk-fed infants . Main outcome measures were Bayley Mental Developmental Index ( MDI ) and Psychomotor Developmental Index ( PDI ) at 18 months and Knobloch , Passamanick and Sherrard 's Developmental Screening Inventory at 9 months ' corrected age . Safety outcome measures were anthropometry at 9 and 18 months , tolerance , infection , necrotizing enterocolitis , and death . RESULTS There were no significant differences in developmental scores between r and omized groups , although infants who were fed LCPUFA-supplemented formula showed a nonsignificant 2.6-point ( 0.25 st and ard deviation ) advantage in MDI and PDI at 18 months , with a greater ( nonsignificant ) advantage ( MDI : 4.5 points ; PDI : 5.8 points ) in infants below 30 weeks ' gestation . LCPUFA-supplemented infants were shorter than control infants at 18 months ( difference in length st and ard deviation score : 0.44 ; 95 % confidence interval : 0.08 - 0.8 ) . No other significant short- or long-term differences in safety outcomes were observed . Breastfed infants had significantly higher developmental scores at 9 and 18 months than both formula groups and were significantly heavier and longer at 18 months than LCPUFA-supplemented but not control infants . CONCLUSIONS With the dose , duration , and preparation of LCPUFA used , efficacy was not demonstrated , although an advantage in later neurodevelopment can not be excluded by global tests of development up to 18 months , particularly in infants below 30 weeks ' gestation . The surprising effect of LCPUFA-supplemented formula on growth 18 months beyond the intervention period needs to be confirmed in other studies using similar supplementation strategies . Additional follow-up of this cohort is critical at an age when more specific tests of cognitive function are possible
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 .