What should pregnant women eat to reduce the risk of asthma in their children?

New research shows that pregnant women who eat fish or take fish oil can protect their children from the risk of asthma, according to AFP news agency.

Experts at the University of South Florida (USA) reviewed two studies before concluding that children of mothers who absorbed high doses of omega-3 fatty acids every day during the third stage of pregnancy, whether from fish or supplements, had a lower risk of breathing problems.

The first study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at 346 women in their third trimester who took high doses of omega-3 fatty acids every day and 349 women who took a placebo. The study found that women with the lowest blood levels benefited from fish oil supplements.

The second study randomly assigned pregnant women in their third trimester to fish oil, placebo, and “no oil” groups. The fish oil group took omega-3 fatty acid supplements every day, while the placebo group took olive oil every day. The “no oil” group was informed about the purpose of the study, and told that if they wanted, they could take fish oil supplements or eat fish during their third trimester.

The results showed that children of women in the fish oil group and the “no oil” group used fewer asthma medications at age 24, suggesting that both groups, regardless of whether they took supplements or ate fish, were less likely to develop asthma. The results of the study were published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

According to TNO