Preterm birth is an ongoing problem in the US. Babies who are born too early weigh less than five pounds and between 1980 and 2000 the number of low birth weight infants has increased by 11.8%. The number of very low-birth weight infants who weigh less than three pounds have increased even more, by 24.3%.
Prevention of Prematurity
To prevent the prematurity problem several strategies have been under development. One of these have to do with improved nutrition of the mother. According to the SNSIG, a group tasked with nutritional guidelines during pregnancy, increased intake of Omega-3 fatty acids is currently recommended. Daily intake of 300mg EFA (essential fatty acids) is recommended. Omega -3 fatty acids include the following and more coverage will be provided to this issue in the next few days:
LNA – Alpha Linoleic acid
EPA- eicosapentaenoic acid
DHA-docosahexaenoic acid