Effect of long-chain n-3 fatty acid supplementation on visual acuity and growth of preterm infants with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Abstract

Healthy preterm infants fed formula with long-chain n-3 fatty acids (n-3 LCFAs) from marine oil have better early visual acuity but lower plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) arachidonic acid (AA) and growth than infants fed formula containing linolenic acid (LLA) as the sole n-3 fatty acid. This randomized, double blind trial was designed to study the effects of a different source of n-3 LCFAs and a shorter feeding interval on visual acuity (by Teller Acuity Card) and growth of preterm infants (n = 59; 747-1275 g birth wt), some of whom required long periods of supplemental oxygen and developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Infants were studied at 0, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 mo past term. Plasma PC AA, and normalized weight, length, and head circumference were not influenced by BPD or n-3 LCFAs except that n-3 LCFA-supplemented infants weighed less at 6 (P < 0.05) and 9 (P < 0.01) mo and had smaller head circumferences at 9 mo (P < 0.05). Compared with control infants, however, those fed n-3 LCFAs had lower weight-for-length at 2, 6, 9, and 12 mo (P < 0.0003, P < 0.0114, P < 0.0008, and P < 0.006, respectively). n-3 LCFAs improved early (2-mo) but not later acuity among infants without BPD (P < 0.02). Regardless of diet, infants with BPD had poorer grating acuity at 2 (P < 0.0002) and 4 (P < 0.04) mo but not thereafter.