Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, March 1 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a report on the website of the British "New Scientist" magazine on February 28, previous studies have shown that pregnant women taking omega-3 (omega-3) supplements can significantly reduce the risk of premature birth .
On this basis, South Australia has launched the world's first program to monitor omega-3 levels in pregnant women and give supplements when insufficient to reduce preterm birth.
The latest data from the trial showed that supplementation in pregnant women with lower levels of omega-3s reduced the risk of preterm birth in the region by around 14 percent.
Omega-3s are found in fish and are known to protect heart and brain health, and there is evidence that they are important for pregnant women.
Regular consumption of fish by pregnant women appears to reduce the risk of preterm birth, as observational studies have shown.
Pregnancy usually lasts for 40 weeks, and preterm birth refers to a woman giving birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
A few years ago, scientists at the South Australian Institute of Health and Medical Research conducted a trial in which they randomly selected 5,500 pregnant women to take omega-3s in the form of 1 gram fish oil capsules daily or a placebo, starting at any time before their 20th week of pregnancy.
It was found that pregnant women with lower blood omega-3 concentrations had a 77% lower risk of having a fetus before 34 weeks of pregnancy if they supplemented with omega-3; taking a placebo had no effect on reducing the risk of preterm birth.
However, the study also found that women with high blood omega-3 concentrations actually increased their risk of preterm birth when taking supplements, suggesting that these supplements should only be recommended for pregnant women with low blood omega-3 concentrations.
With this in mind, researchers have launched a screening program in South Australia to provide all pregnant women with free blood tests to identify and treat pregnant women with low levels of omega-3 in their bodies.
They have screened about 3,000 women since May 2021, and about 17 percent had low omega-3 concentrations.
Early clinical trial results showed that giving them supplements reduced preterm birth rates across South Australia by 14 per cent.
Preterm birth increases the risk of infant death or disability, but there are few effective ways to prevent premature birth.
Finding ways to prevent premature birth is one of the highest priorities in maternal and child health, the researchers said.