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For several years, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) have been added to commercially available infant formulas. These long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPFAs) are touted to help infant formula more closely mimic breast milk and to be more beneficial to eye and brain development than infant formula without LCPFAs. The effect of maternal fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy and lactation has also been examined.
An international team conducted a meta-analysis of data from four randomized clinical trials of development at age 18 months among infants who received supplemented and unsupplemented formula. Availability of individual patient data for 870 children (529 born at term and 341 born preterm) allowed for ad…