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 .
Effects of maternal docosahexaenoic acid intake on visual function and neurodevelopment in breastfed term infants.
BACKGROUND Normal brain and visual development is thought to require exogenous docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ; 22:6n-3 ) intake , but the amount needed is debatable . Because the supplementation of breastfeeding mothers with DHA increases the DHA content of their infants ' plasma lipids , we hypothesized that it might also improve brain or visual function in the infants . OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the effect of DHA supplementation of breastfeeding mothers on neurodevelopmental status and visual function in the recipient infant . DESIGN Breastfeeding women received capsules containing either a high-DHA algal oil ( approximately 200 mg DHA/d ) or a vegetable oil ( no DHA ) for 4 mo after delivery . Outcome variables included the fatty acid pattern of maternal plasma phospholipid and milk lipids 4 mo postpartum , the fatty acid pattern of plasma phospholipids and visual function in infants at 4 and 8 mo of age , and neurodevelopmental indexes of the infants at 12 and 30 mo of age . RESULTS Milk lipid and infant plasma phospholipid DHA contents of the supplemented and control groups were approximately 75 % and approximately 35 % higher , respectively , at 4 mo postpartum . However , neither the neurodevelopmental indexes of the infants at 12 mo of age nor the visual function at 4 or 8 mo of age differed significantly between groups . In contrast , the Bayley Psychomotor Development Index , but not the Mental Development Index , of the supplemented group was higher ( P < 0.01 ) at 30 mo of age . CONCLUSION DHA supplementation  of breastfeeding mothers results in higher infant plasma phospholipid DHA contents during supplementation and a higher Bayley Psychomotor Development Index at 30 mo of age but results in no other advantages either at or before this age
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 .