“There is currently no vaccine against the pathogen that causes this disease. Therefore, other preventive strategies are needed and measures starting during pregnancy may be important, as croup occurs in babies and young children,” explained Dr. Nicklas Brustad, a clinician and postdoctoral researcher working at Perspectives Copenhagen Studies in Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC). at the University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark. “To that end, there is evidence that both vitamin D and fish oil could have an effect on the immune system.” The new trial, which studied 736 pregnant women cared for by COPSAC since 2010, was the first large study of its kind to investigate the effects of vitamin D and fish oil on croup.
Study details
The women were divided into four groups: One group was given a high-dose vitamin D supplement (2,800 IUs per day) plus 2.4 grams of fish oil per day. The second group was given a high dose of vitamin D and olive oil. The third group was given a standard dose of vitamin D (400 IUs per day) plus fish oil. and the final group was given a standard dose of vitamin D and olive oil. All women took the supplements daily from the 24th week of their pregnancy until one week after their babies were born. Dr. Brustad and his colleagues followed the children until the age of three, during which time 97 cases of croup were confirmed among the children. Overall, children whose mothers received the fish oil had an 11% risk of croup, compared with 17% in children whose mothers received olive oil (a 38% reduction). Children whose mothers received high doses of vitamin D had an 11% risk of croup, compared with an 18% risk in those whose mothers received the standard dose of vitamin D (a 40% reduction). “Our findings suggest that vitamin D and fish oil could be beneficial against childhood croup at high enough doses. These are relatively inexpensive supplements which means this could be a very cost-effective approach to improving the health of young children,” Dr Brustad said. “We are not sure of the exact mechanisms behind the beneficial effects of vitamin D and fish oil, but they may stimulate the immune system to help babies and young children clear infections more effectively.” The researchers said they will continue to follow the children in the study and plan to investigate why some children are more prone to childhood infections than others.
“This could lead to new recommendations for supplements during pregnancy.”
Commenting independently on the research, Professor Rory Morty from the University of Heidelberg and Chair of the European Respiratory Society’s Lung and Airway Developmental Biology Group said: “We know that lung health in babies and young children can be affected during duration of pregnancy. For example, babies whose mothers smoke tend to have worse lung health. We are increasingly seeing that elements of the mother’s diet can also help or hinder the development of the baby’s lungs. “This research shows that taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements during pregnancy could have benefits for babies and young children. We would like to see further research in this area to support these findings, as this could lead to new recommendations for supplementation during pregnancy. Pregnant women should always talk to their doctor before taking supplements.” COPSAC is funded by the Lundbeck Foundation, the Danish Ministry of Health and the Danish Capital Region Research Foundation. Source: No. abstract: OA2189 “Fish oil and vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy protects against childhood”, by Nicklas Brustad et al. Presented in session, “Chronic and acute pulmonary infections in children” on September 5, 2022.
