Ann Hellstr News Today

Sweden: Postnatal supplementation with enteral arachidonic acid (AA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to extremely preterm (EPT) children did not significantly alter visual acuity (VA) at 2.5 years of...

A novel study reveals that preterm babies given a supplement of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids show significantly better visual function by age two and a half.

Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg.

The findings emphasize the need for further study of this population, especially as survival rates continue to increase.

Credit: Photo by Elin Lindstrom Risk for a severe form of retinopathy of prematurity, which can cause blindness in extremely premature babies, was halved when the newborns were given a new supplement combining various fatty acids. This was shown in a Swedish study led from the University of Gothenburg. The study, now published in JAMA Pediatrics, is described as groundbreaking in its field. It documents a clear fall in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among extremely premature (EP) infants (bo...