A new study has found that fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy reduce the risk of croup in babies and toddlers. The results will be presented at the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Barcelona, Spain.
Croup is a viral chest infection that affects young children. It causes a characteristic “barking” cough, a hoarse voice and difficulty breathing. Croup is common and usually mild, but some children will need hospital treatment and breathing support.
The study included 736 pregnant women treated by COPSAC since 2010. The women were divided into four groups. One group received high-dose vitamin D supplementation (2800 international units per day) and fish oil containing long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.4 grams), the second group received high-dose vitamin D D and olive oil, the third group was given a standard dose of vitamin D (400 international units per day) and fish oil, and these final groups were given a standard dose of vitamin D and olive oil .
All the women took the supplements daily from the 24th week of pregnancy until one week after the birth of their babies. Neither the women nor the researchers knew which supplements they were taking until the end of the study.
The researchers followed the children up to age three, and anyone suspected of having croup was diagnosed by a doctor or through their medical records. There were a total of 97 cases of croup among the children.
Overall, children whose mothers took fish oil had an 11% risk of croup, compared with 17% of children whose mothers took olive oil (a 38% decrease). Children whose mothers took high doses of vitamin D had an 11 percent risk of croup, compared with an 18 percent risk in those whose mothers took the standard dose of vitamin D ( a decrease of 40 percent).
Dr Brustad said: “Our results suggest that vitamin D and fish oil could be beneficial against childhood croup at high enough doses. These are relatively cheap supplements, which means it could be a very cost-effective approach to improve the health of young children.
“We’re not sure of the exact mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of vitamin D and fish oil, but it could be that they can stimulate the immune system to help babies and young children fight off infections more effectively.”
The research team working at COPSAC has already investigated other potential benefits of vitamin D and fish oil during pregnancy, including its effects on bone development, the central nervous system, body composition and asthma They will continue to follow the children in the study and plan to investigate why some children are more prone to childhood infections than others.
Professor Rory Morty of the University of Heidelberg is Chair of the Developmental Biology of the Lung and Airway Group at the European Respiratory Society and was not involved in the research. He said: “We know that the lung health of babies and young children can be influenced during pregnancy. For example, babies whose mothers smoke tend to have worse lung health. Increasingly we are seeing that elements of the diet of a mother can also help or hinder the baby’s lung development.
“This research suggests that taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements during pregnancy could have benefits for babies and young children. We would like to do more research in this area to support these findings, as this could lead to to new recommendations for supplementation during pregnancy. Pregnant women should always talk to their doctor before taking supplements.”
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