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 .
A randomized trial of different ratios of linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid in the diet of term infants: effects on visual function and growth.
BACKGROUND There are nutritional recommendations that the ratio of linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid ( LA : ALA ) in formula for term infants be between 5:1 and 15:1 . These recommendations were made in the absence of data on functional or clinical outcomes . OBJECTIVE We compared the fatty acid status , visual evoked potential ( VEP ) acuity , and growth of term infants fed formula containing an LA : ALA of 10:1 or 5:1 with those of a breast-fed reference cohort . DESIGN Formula-fed infants were allocated r and omly in a double-blind fashion to receive formula with an LA : ALA of either 10:1 ( 16.9:1.7 ; n = 36 ) or 5:1 ( 16.3:3.3 ; n = 37 ) from near birth to 34 wk of age . Increased ALA was attained by replacing soy oil with low-erucic acid cannola oil . A parallel group of breast-fed infants was also recruited . Infant growth and fatty acid status were assessed at 6 , 16 , and 34 wk of age . VEP acuity was assessed at 16 and 34 wk . RESULTS Infants fed the 5:1 formula had greater docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) concentrations in plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids than did infants fed the 10:1 formula , but DHA concentrations of infants fed the 5:1 formula remained less than those in breast-fed infants . The VEP acuity of all formula-fed and breast-fed infants was not significantly different at 16 and 34 wk of age . At birth , infants fed the 5:1 formula were heavier , were longer , and had a greater head circumference than infants assigned to the 10:1 formula group ; this differential was maintained throughout the trial . The rate of gain in weight , length , and head circumference was not significantly different between the 2 formula-fed groups , although breast-fed infants had lower weight and length gains than did formula-fed infants between 16 and 34 wk of age . CONCLUSION Lowering the LA : ALA in formula from 10:1 to 5:1 by using low-erucic acid canola oil result ed in a modest increase in plasma DHA but had no effect on VEP acuity or growth rate
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 .