Fish oil affects immune function in 9 to 12 month old infants

Background - n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are thought to affect immune function and may affect immune maturation in early life. Objective - To examine if fish oil supplementation in late infancy could modify immune function. Design - A 2×2 intervention with fish oil (3.4 ± 1.1 ml/day) or no fish oil and cow’s milk or infant formula from 9 to 12 month of age in 64 healthy Danish infants.

Before and after the intervention we measured the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte (RBC) membranes, plasma IgE levels, C-reactive protein and soluble IL-2 receptors (sIL-2R) as well as cytokine production in whole-blood cultures stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/phytohaemaglutinin (PHA) or Lactobacillus paracasei for 22 h.

IgA was measured in feces at 10 months of age. Results - Fish oil supplementation effectively raised RBC n-3 PUFA (p