Babies and children under the age of three are less likely to develop croup if their mothers took fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, according to new clinical trial results. The findings come from a randomized controlled trial – the ‘gold standard’ for medical research – to be presented at the European Respiratory Society’s International Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It is the first large study of its kind to investigate the effects of vitamin D and fish oil on croup.
Croup is a viral chest infection that affects young children. It causes a characteristic “barking” cough, hoarse voice and difficulty breathing. Croup is common and usually mild, but some children will need hospital care and breathing support.
The study was presented by Dr Nicklas Brustad, a clinician and postdoctoral researcher working in the Copenhagen Prospective Studies of Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
He told Congress, “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 .To that end, there is evidence that both vitamin D and fish oil could have an effect on the immune system.”
The study included 736 pregnant women cared for by COPSAC since 2010. The women were divided into four groups. One group was given a high-dose vitamin D supplement (2,800 international units per day) and fish oil containing long-chain n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.4 grams), the second group was given high-dose vitamin D and olive oil, the third group were given a standard dose of vitamin D (400 international units per day) and 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. Neither the women nor the researchers knew which supplements they were taking until the end of the study.
The researchers followed the children until they were three years old, and anyone suspected of having croup was diagnosed by a doctor or through their medical records. There were a total of 97 cases of stroke 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).
Dr. Brustad said, “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 health of young children.
“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 research team working at COPSAC has already investigated other potential benefits of vitamin D and fish oil during pregnancy, including its effects on bone development, the central nervous system, body composition and asthma. 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.
Professor Rory Morty from the University of Heidelberg is chair of the lung and airways developmental biology group at the European Respiratory Society and was not involved in the research. She said, “We know that lung health in babies and young children can be affected during pregnancy. For example, babies whose mothers smoke tend to have worse lung health. We are increasingly seeing that evidence of diet a mother’s can also help or hinder baby’s lung development.
“This research suggests 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.”
Taking vitamin D during pregnancy could reduce the risk of eczema in babies More information: Abstract no. Presented in session, “Chronic and acute lung infections in children” at 09:4511:11 CEST on Mon 05 Sep 2022. [k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Pr … ?e=377&session=14751]
Provided by the European Lung Foundation
Reference: Fish oil and vitamin D supplements in pregnancy reduce risk of croup in babies and young children (2022, September 5) Retrieved September 5, 2022 from
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