Effects of maternal docosahexaenoic acid intake on visual function and neurodevelopment in breastfed term infants.

Controlled intervention study in healthy women aged 18 to 40 years who planned to breastfeed exclusively for about 4 months after delivery and their term infants. In the active algal DHA group, 114 mothers were randomized and 115 infants were enrolled; infants were term, without major congenital or metabolic disorders, and were born at 37 weeks or later with birth weights of 2500 to 4200 g.

Mothers in the active arm took 1 oral capsule daily providing 200 mg/day DHA as high-DHA algal triacylglycerol (DHASCO) for 4 months postpartum. The comparator capsule contained a 50:50 soy and corn oil blend with no DHA.

Maternal DHA supplementation increased infant DHA status during supplementation and showed one later neurodevelopmental benefit, but it did not improve visual function or other early developmental measures. In the DHA arm, transient VEP latency was 124.8 ± 11.7 ms at 4 months and 115.1 ± 8.1 ms at 8 months, with VEP amplitudes of 28.9 ± 12.1 V and 24.3 ± 8.9 V; control amplitudes were significantly higher (P = 0.03). No clear visual advantage was seen, and 12-month Gesell DQ scores were not meaningfully better. At 30 months, Bayley MDI was 107.8 ± 12.2 and Bayley PDI was 116.8 ± 15.2; PDI was 8.4 points higher than control (P = 0.005, significant after covariate adjustment).

Benefits were inconsistent across outcomes, with no improvement in visual function and only one later neurodevelopmental endpoint favoring DHA. The study was limited to a relatively small, healthy and fairly homogeneous U.S. mother-infant sample, which reduces generalizability. Adverse event reporting was sparse, and some outcome details were incomplete.