Fish oil supplements not reliable during pregnancy to make kids smarter

Fish oil supplements that contain DHA (the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid) are marketed to pregnant women as a way to support brain development. After all, who doesn’t want their child to be smart?

 

However most clinical trials that have examined the impact of DHA on brain development are underpowered – that is, they don’t contain adequate subject numbers to draw reasonable conclusions – or have methodological limitations.

A large and robust trial of 500 South Australian mother-child pairs has just been completed. Women were given high-dose DHA or a vegetable oil placebo throughout the second half of pregnancy.