By Belinda Tasker
Taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy can help mums reduce their child’s chances of developing asthma during the first five years of life, medical researchers have discovered.
A study of 695 newborns in Denmark found that the risk of developing asthma or a persistent wheeze dropped by a third among children whose mums took daily fish oil supplements during their third trimester of pregnancy.
The children also had a reduced risk of developing lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, the researchers from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood said.
One in 10 Australians are estimated to have asthma and most children with the long-term lung condition have symptoms before their fifth birthday.
The Danish researchers said their findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, could have wide implications for people with asthma around the world.
