Increasing Omega 3 fatty acids in the diets of premature babies may improve their cognitive abilities later in life, according to an Australian study.

The study has basically shown that by matching the dose of Omega 3 that the baby would normally get if still in the womb we can actually improve the developmental outcomes of those children at about 18 months from when they are due.

Speaking at the International Seafood and Health Conference program in Melbourne this week, Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of Adelaide, Maria Makrides, said an ongoing five-year study has found that Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish, fish oils, breast milk and recently included in instant formula, help perform important functions in the brain.

“It’s possible that by changing the way we feed the babies in the near-natal unit we can actually make significant improvements into their cognitive abilities,” Prof Makrides said.

Omega 3 fatty acids are accumulated in the brain very actively during the last trimester of pregnancy, so premature babies that are born early and miss that last trimester basically need to get them from their diet, Prof Makrides told Neos Kosmos.

“The study has basically shown that by matching the dose of Omega 3 that the baby would normally get if still in the womb we can actually improve the developmental outcomes of those children at about 18 months from when they are due,” she said.

Conducted by the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth, the study involved 657 babies all born at less than 33 weeks.

It took about three years to recruit the babies and then involved following them all to 18 months after they were due to be born, Prof Makrides said.

The study has just received funding to follow up the children until age seven, which is important because differences observed at seven years of age can be quite predictive of a child’s adult intelligence, Prof Makrides said.