By Isabelle Jones
A new clinical trial suggests that pregnant women to take fish oil during their third trimester may cut their kid’s risk for developing asthma by as much as one-third, according to an article by Tucson. The dose of fish oil given to the pregnant women was high, with fatty acid levels that were 15 to 20 times more than the average. There were no significant side effects, however, according to lead researcher Dr. Hans Bisgaard, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Copenhagen. For the study, Bisgaard’s team randomly assigned 736 pregnant women to take either fish oil or a placebo every day during the third trimester. The placebo capsules contained olive oil. The children in the fish oil group were about one-third less likely to develop asthma. By the age of five, nearly 17 percent of the children in the fish oil group were diagnosed with asthma or persistent wheezing, compared to the nearly 25 percent of the children in the placebo group.