DHA food increases gestation in pregnant mothers

06/03/03
Foodnavigator.com

"Pregnant mothers who ate DHA-enriched eggs during the last three months of pregnancy had an increased length of gestation, report researchers. The team found that gestation increased by six days in the group taking eggs with added docosahexaenoic acid (133mg DHA per egg) compared to the ordinary egg (33mg DHA per egg) group. They report their findings in this month's Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study, which included 291 subjects, also showed a trend for higher birth weight, length and head circumference with intake of the high-DHA eggs, although the trend did not result in statistical significance....
"This evidence further validates DHA as a critical nutrient impacting infant growth and development," commented Henry Linsert, chairman and CEO of US company Martek Biosciences, which supplied the DHA for the study. "The potential benefits of increasing gestation length are significant."" [Would any of this research be done if Martek weren't out there seeking new markets? - JC]