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Dietary supplementation with n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in early childhood: effects on blood pressure and arterial structure and function at age 8 y^1,2,3

¹ From the Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia (JGA, JAH, and DSC); the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia (WX, BT, and GBM); the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA (KW); the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Department of Woman and Child Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (CA); the Department of Medicine and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia (JGA, JAH, and DSC); and the Heart Research Institute, Sydney, Australia (JGA and DSC).

² Supported by Pfizer Australia CVL Grant, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Cooperative Research Centre for Asthma (New South Wales), and the Department of Health, Children’s Hospital Westmead. Goods were provided at reduced cost by Goodman Fielder Food.

³ Address correspondence to DS Celermajer, Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. E-mail: david.celermajer{at}email.cs.nsw.gov.au.

Background: n–3 Fatty acid supplementation in adults results in cardiovascular benefits. However, the cardiovascular effects of n–3 supplementation in early childhood are unknown.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate blood pressure (BP) and arterial structure and function in 8-y-old children who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of dietary n–3 and n–6 modification over the first 5 y of life.

Design: The children (n = 616; 49% girls) were randomly assigned antenatally to active (n = 312; increase in n–3 intake and decrease in n–6 intake) or control (n = 304) diet interventions implemented from the time of weaning or introduction of solids until 5 y of age. At age 8.0 ± 0.1 y, BP, carotid intima-media thickness, carotid artery distensibility, augmentation index, and brachial pulse wave velocity were measured in 405 of these children. Venous blood was collected for measurement of plasma fatty acids, lipoproteins, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and asymmetric dimethylarginine. Plasma fatty acid concentrations were also assessed during the intervention.

Results: Plasma concentrations of n–3 fatty acids were higher and of n–6 were lower in the active than in the control diet group at 18 mo and 3 and 5 y (P < 0.0001). Concentrations of n–3 and n–6 fatty acids were similar at 8 y. At 8 y of age, no significant differences were found in BP, carotid intima-media thickness, carotid artery distensibility, augmentation index, asymmetric dimethylarginine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or lipoproteins between diet groups.

Conclusion: A dietary supplement intervention to increase n–3 and decrease n–6 intakes from infancy until 5 y does not result in significant improvements in arterial structure and function at age 8 y. This trial was registered at the Australian Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN012605000042640.