NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children born to womenwho took fish oil capsules in late pregnancy are less likely tohave asthma at the age of 16, according to a new EuropeanUnion-funded study.

But other researchers must confirm the findings before anygeneral recommendations can be made about taking fish oil duringpregnancy, Dr. Sjurdur F. Olsen of Statens Serum Institut inCopenhagen, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.

In 1990, Olsen and his team randomly assigned 533 pregnant womento take the equivalent of 2.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acids in fishoil capsules, olive oil capsules, or nothing, every day for theirlast 10 weeks of pregnancy. On average, the women taking the fishoil had pregnancies that were four days longer and infants whoweighed 100 grams more compared with the other groups.

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