Influence of Maternal Fish Oil Supplementation on the Risk of Asthma or Wheeze in Children: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND:

Previous studies evaluating the influences of maternal fish oil supplementation on the risk of asthma or wheeze in children showed inconsistent results. We performed a meta-analysis or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to systematically evaluate the efficacy of maternal fish oil supplementation for asthma or wheeze.

METHODS:

Relevant RCTs were obtained by search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane's Library databases. A random-effects model incorporating the potential publication bias was used to pool the results.

RESULTS:

Ten RCTs with 3,676 infants were included. Compared to control, maternal supplementation with fish oil was not associated with a reduced risk of asthma or wheeze [odds ratio (OR): 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-1.14, P = 0.40] with mild heterogeneity (I 2 = 28%). Subgroup analyses showed that maternal fish oil supplementation significantly reduced the risk of asthma (OR: 0.56, 95% CI.: 0.35-0.91, P = 0.02; I 2 = 0%), but not the risk of wheeze (OR: 1.12, 95% CI.: 0.90-1.41, P = 0.32; I 2 = 0%). In addition, maternal fish oil supplementation was associated with reduced risk of asthma or wheeze in high-dose studies (≥1,200 mg/d, OR.: 0.65, 95% CI.: 0.48-0.87, P = 0.003; I 2 = 0%), but not in low-dose studies (<1,200 mg/d, OR.: 1.10, 95% CI.: 0.88-1.38, P = 0.39; I 2 = 0%, P for subgroup difference = 0.005). Study characteristics such as the risk of the infants, timing of supplementation, and follow-up duration did not significantly affect the results.

CONCLUSIONS:

Maternal fish oil supplementation may reduce the risk of clinically diagnosed asthma in children, particularly with high-dose fish oil.