Effects of supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy on asthma or wheeze of children: A Systematic Rev and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy on the incidence of wheeze and asthma of children.

METHODS:

A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL until September 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy on wheeze/asthma of children were included. Two investigators independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. Outcomes of relative risks were pooled. Subgroup analyses were conducted.

RESULTS:

Seven RCTs involving 2047 children were included. The pooled data revealed the supplementation during pregnancy reduced the incidence of wheeze/asthma (risk ratio (RR) 0.81; 95% CI 0.66-0.99; p 0.04), but the incidence of childhood asthma was not significantly reduced (RR 0.89; 95%CI 0.67-1.17; p 0.40). Subgroup analyses indicated that the risk of childhood wheeze/asthma was significantly decreased 1) in studies located in Europe (RR 0.67 95% CI 0.51 0.88), 2) in children whose first-degree relatives were diagnosed with allergic disease (RR 0.65 95% CI 0.49 0.85), 3) when a dose of omega - 3 fatty acids ≥ 2000mg/d was applied (RR 0.61 95% CI 0.45 0.81), 4) in wheeze/asthma without sensitivity (RR 0.71 95% CI 0.54 0.94).

CONCLUSION:

The available low-quality evidence indicated that omega-3 fatty acids supplementation during pregnancy may reduce the incidence of wheeze/asthma of children, but incidence of asthma was not reduced after omega-3 fatty acids supplementation during pregnancy. More well-designed RCTs with large sample sizes need to be conducted to better understand the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation during pregnancy with asthma in childhood.