Study: Fish Oil Helps in Preventing Premature Birth

There are several health benefits of fish oil. The main benefit lies in the properties of omega 3. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide states that premature births can be avoided by consuming fish oil supplements.

The new findings have been presented by Maria Makrides, a professor at the University of Adelaide. She discovered this while studying the effect of the supplement omega 3 on post natal depression as well as neuro-development in young children.  She noticed that supplements of omega 3 fatty acid makes the pregnancy last longer, thereby avoiding premature birth.

The researcher came to a conclusion after studying 2,400 women from five different Australian maternity hospitals. The study has been used to support the international research on premature birth, reports The Australian Associated Press.

A normal pregnancy lasts from 37-40 weeks but premature birth happens before 34 weeks of gestation.  According to the study, nearly 2 percent of 300,000 babies born each year have had a premature birth.

The result of the study, done by prof Makrides, was reviewed by Susan Carlson who is a professor at the University of Kansas.

Women who took the supplements tended to have slightly larger and heavier babies and gave birth some days later than the placebo group, she told the annual congress of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) in Adelaide on Wednesday.

This interesting finding states that long chain omega 3 fatty acid supplements lower the chances of premature birth.

Omega 3 fatty acid is found in fish like salmon and tuna.