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Aspects of the infants’ health that were not shown to be affected by omega-3s include growth after birth, visual acuity, long-term neurological and cognitive development, and the risks of autism, ADHD, learning disorders, and allergies. Omega-3s were not found to have effects on any other aspects of the mothers’ or infants’ health or the infants’ long-term development. Also, when women took omega-3 supplements during pregnancy, their pregnancies lasted a little longer, but there was no effect on the risk of premature birth. They found that when women took omega-3 supplements during pregnancy, their babies’ birth weight was slightly higher, but the risk of an undesirably low birth weight did not change. In 2016, AHRQ reviewed 143 studies that evaluated the effects of giving omega-3 supplements to pregnant or breastfeeding women or giving formulas with added DHA to infants.Methyl mercury can be harmful to the brain and nervous system if a person is exposed to too much of it. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency recommend that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding eat at least 8 ounces but no more than 12 ounces of a variety of seafood each week, from choices that are lower in methyl mercury. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 and guidance from the U.S. The nutritional value of seafood is important during early development.For more information on heart disease, see NCCIH’s webpage on cardiovascular disease.Omega-3s may not offer extra benefits beyond those of modern drug treatment. More people are taking medicines that reduce the risk of heart attacks, such as statin drugs to treat high cholesterol.Additional omega-3s, beyond the amounts consumed by people who eat seafood, may not have extra benefits.
Public health messages that urge people to eat more seafood may have led to greater consumption of omega-3s from food.The difference between the newer conclusions and the older ones may reflect two changes over time: However, some earlier analyses suggested that omega-3s could be helpful. Several other analyses of the evidence have been done in the last few years (2012 or later), and like the 2018 analysis and the AHRQ report, most found little or no evidence for a protective effect of omega-3 supplements against heart disease.
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They did not find evidence that omega-3s can reduce the risk of heart attacks or death from heart disease. Government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) did a comprehensive evaluation of 98 studies of omega-3s and heart disease, including both diet and supplementation studies.
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