Eating Fish to Prevent Preterm Birth: No Need to Go Overboard

Supplementation with ω-3 fatty acids beginning at 16 to 21 weeks' gestation does not prevent recurrent preterm birth (PTB) in high-risk women, but is prior dietary fish intake beneficial? In a substudy of their trial of ω-3 supplementation to avert PTB in women who had experienced one or more preterm deliveries, U.S. investigators from the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network evaluated fish consumption before study enrollment. A total of 852 participants completed food frequency questionnaires to assess fish intake during the time from last menstrual period to randomization.

PTB occurred in 49% of the 253 women who ate fish once monthly or not at all compared with 36% of the 599 women who ate fish more often (P<0.001). In analysis adjusted …