Risk and benefit of omega-3 fatty acids food supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women

Abstract (English)

The well-being of pregnant and breastfeeding women and their offspring is extremely important, both for themselves and for society as a whole. And well-being is not possible without quality nutrition, which ensures the intake of all the necessary nutrients through food that is safe regarding the presence of hazardous compounds. However, modern diet is often depleted of omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3-FA), especially eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA). Considering that foods rich in these nutrients, such as fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna, cod, krill, etc.) and algae, are not so common on our tables, use of the ω-3-FA food supplements can be seen as a simple yet effective way for their intake. The health benefits of ω-3-FA are summarized in authorized health claims - DHA maternal intake contributes to: the normal brain / eye development of the foetus and breastfed infants / the normal visual development of infants up to 12 months of age. On the other hand, associated health concerns could not be neglected, especially in case of methylmercury, a potential contaminant of fish oil, responsible for developmental neurotoxicity. Considering that recent survey conducted in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska showed that the use of ω-3-FA via supplements was reported by nearly half of pregnant and breastfeeding women, this study was undertaken to explore the capacity of the ω-3-FA supplements intended for them and available on these markets to fulfil the nutritional requirements as well as pose health risk. A total of 11 ω-3-FA supplements, containing fish (10) or algae oil (1), were subjected to GC-FID analysis of their FA profiles and DMA analysis of mercury contamination. The intake of EPA and DHA, assessed taking into account daily doses of supplements recommended on their labels, significantly contributed to the current nutritional recommendation for daily intake of EPA+DHA of 250mg and additional DHA intake of 100-200mg. Very low amounts of mercury found in fish oil supplements led to a practically negligible contribution of 0,03±0,04% to the oral reference dose or 0,02±0,02% to the tollerable weekly intake, corresponding to an increase of the usual dietary intake of mercury of 0.01%. In case of inorganic mercury, expected in algal oil, the contribution was even lower. In conclusion, the study findings indicate an excellent ratio of benefit obtained through intake of ω-3-FA and risk attributed to mercury contamination of the ω-3-FA food supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women.