Omega-3 linked with reduced risk for smallest babies

Omega-3 fatty acids may have a role in preventing heart attack or strokes in adults who were small at birth, according to University of Sydney researchers. The findings published in Pediatrics , the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggest the use of supplements for the first five years of a child's life may prevent the development of such life-threatening conditions. "People who were small at birth have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease," said Michael Skilton , lead author of the paper, from the University's Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders. The definition of small at birth applies to the lowest 10% of birth weights of all babies born in Australia each year and no preventative strategy to address their risk has previously been identified. "The greater degree of risk is partly due to the development, from early childhood, of arterial wall thickening which is an indicator of early atherosclerosis, leading to a build-up of fat and plaque, and hardening of the blood vessels," Skilton said. The study followed the same subjects as those taking part in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study - 616 children born at term. Participants belonged to one of two groups.