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 .
Effect of Different Levels of Docosahexaenoic Acid Supply on Fatty Acid Status and Linoleic and &agr;-Linolenic Acid Conversion in Preterm Infants
Objectives : Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid ( LC-PUFA ) enrichment of preterm infant formulas is recommended to meet high dem and s. Dietary LC-PUFA may inhibit endogenous LC-PUFA synthesis , thus limiting their benefit . We investigated effects of different docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) intakes on plasma and erythrocyte fatty acids and endogenous LC-PUFA synthesis in preterm infants . Methods : Forty-two preterm infants ( birth weight 1000–2200 g ) were r and omized double-blind to  preterm formulas with & ggr;-linolenic acid ( 0.4 % ) and arachidonic acid ( AA , 0.1 % ) but different DHA contents ( A : 0.04 % , B : 0.33 % , C : 0.52 % ) ; 24 received human milk ( HM : 0.51 % AA , 0.38 % DHA , nonr and omized ) . Blood was sample d on study days 0 , 14 , and 28 . Uniformly 13C-labeled linoleic acid ( 2 mg/kg ) and & agr;-linolenic acid ( 1 mg/kg ) were applied orally on day 26 and blood sample s collected 48 hours later . Results : On day 28 , group A had the lowest and group C the highest plasma phospholipid concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA . Erythrocyte phospholipid DHA was lowest in group A , but comparable in groups B , C , and HM . Plasma and erythrocyte AA were lower in formula groups than in HM . DHA intake had no effect on DHA synthesis . LC-PUFA synthesis was lower in HM infants . Conclusions : DHA supply dose dependently increased plasma DHA . Formula DHA levels of 0.33 % matched plasma DHA status of infants fed HM . LC-PUFA synthesis was lower in infants fed HM than formulas with different DHA and low AA contents . With the LC-PUFA supplementation used , DHA in formulas did not inhibit AA or DHA synthesis
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 .