A RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF VISUAL-ATTENTION OF PRETERM INFANTS FED DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID UNTIL 9 MONTHS

This randomized, double-blind trial tested the hypothesis that the add ition of 0.2% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) from marine oil to c ommercially-available preterm and term formulas with greater than or e qual to 3% linolenic acid (18:3n-3) would enhance novelty preference a nd visual attention of preterm infants. Among preterm infants cared fo r in our center, study infants were a select group considered to be at lower risk for developmental delay, Study infants received their assi gned diet (control, DHA-supplemented) from a mean postnatal age of 25 d until 9 mon past term. At 6.5, 9, and 12 mon past term, they were te sted for visual recognition memory (novelty preference) and attention with the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence. The effects of DHA supplem entation were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. In p aired comparisons of novel and familiar stimuli, DHA-supplemented and control infants had the same novelty preference, but supplemented infa nts had more discrete looks to both novel (P < 0.03) and familiar (P < 0.02) stimuli and a shorter overall look duration (P < 0.03). These d ata are analogous to those from n-3-deficient and n-3-fed monkeys in t hat the group with better DHA status had shorter overall look duration , Because shorter look duration has been associated with more rapid in formation processing, preterm infants fed formulas with only linolenic acid may have had slower information processing than those fed DHA.