07.10.2022
Pseudocroup can cause paroxysmal fits of coughing and, in rare cases, life-threatening shortness of breath in babies and small children. A Danish study has now been able to show that high-dose vitamin D and fish oil during pregnancy may reduce the risk of croup in the offspring.
To date, there is no known prevention or vaccination for the respiratory disease pseudocroup, which mainly affects children between the ages of 0 and 5 years. dr Nicklas Breastad from the University of Copenhagen and his team examined to what extent the additional intake of fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) and vitamin D in the pregnancy on the risk of pseudocroup in offspring. At the so-called COPSAC2010study (Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010) a total of 736 pregnant women took part.
High dose of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids
Neither the study doctors nor the pregnant women knew what micronutrients they were getting. Fish oil (2.4 g omega-3 fatty acids) was compared with olive oil – and high-dose vitamin D (2,800 IU/day) with the standard dose of vitamin D (400 IU/day).
The women took the supplements from 24 weeks gestation to the first week after childbirth a. A total of 695 children were observed for three years.
Significantly fewer pseudocroup diseases in 0-3 year olds
At the ERS Congress 2022 (European Respiratory Society), the team presented the following results:
A total of 97 out of 695 babies and toddlers developed pseudocroup. In children whose mothers took fish oil during pregnancy, the risk of croup was 11% – compared to 17% with olive oil. (The actually healthy olive oil contains only a few omega-3 fatty acids.) With an additional 2.4 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids, the relative risk of pseudo-croup fell by around a third.
In children whose mothers took high-dose vitamin D daily, the risk of pseudo-croup was also 11% – compared to 18% with standard dose vitamin D. With high-dose vitamin D, the relative risk of pseudo-croup decreased by just over a third .
Results need to be confirmed by further studies
The Danish research team concludes: If pregnant women supplement their diet with omega-3 fatty acids and/or vitamin D in sufficient doses, this could have a protective effect against croup in the offspring in the first few years of life. The biological mechanisms behind this are unclear. Further studies are also needed to confirm the results.
Note for pregnant women: Please consult with your gynecologist before taking dietary supplements above the daily dosage recommended by the German Society for Nutrition.
Quelle: European Respiratory Society (ERS)/Abstract OA2189.