New research shows that taking 2.4 grams of fish oil daily during the third trimester of pregnancy until one week after giving birth reduces the risk of asthma or wheeze in children by 30.7%. The effect was strongest for the children of mothers with the lowest blood levels of eicosapentaeonic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at the beginning of the study. For these mothers, the risk for asthma in offspring dropped by 54%. Fish oil supplementation also resulted in a 25% reduced risk of lower respiratory tract infections in children when compared to the control group.
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