FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
The proposal made in this paper is that many of the serious complications of prematurity may result from deficits in omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) and omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
These fatty acids are provided in high concentrations by the placenta - particularly in the last trimester - so premature infants miss out on receiving them, and the standard nutrition provided to premature infants does not make up for this loss. See:
Almost 20 years later, a clinical trial has reported 'groundbreaking' results in support of this proposal. Retinopathy of prematurity (usually leading to permanent vision loss) was reduced by 50% in premature infants supplemented with both AA and DHA.
For more details on these findings, see: