Research Summary Archives

In biomedical research, metabolic and functional differences between the sexes for specific nutrients are often not specifically addressed and fully appreciated. Fundamental physiological processes that underlie the functioning of most organs are thought to be more similar than different between the...

Since omega-3 fatty acids are known to have anti-inflammatory activity, and allergic disease is typified by the active release of inflammatory mediators, several studies have investigated whether omega-3 fatty acid intake can lower the incidence of allergies. Within this line of thought, clinical re...

Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) is a complication of low gestational age pre-term infants (<37 wks gestational age) who develop necrotizing enterocolitis, as a result of the surgical removal of a significant part of the inflamed and damaged intestinal tissue. SBS can also result from the need to resec...

Fish and shellfish consumption during pregnancy provides the fetus with several nutrients that may be scarce in maternal diets, such as selenium and long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs), which are essential for optimum brain growth and function. Some, but not all, prospective cohort studies have ...

One of the most important reasons to assure the adequate intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) during pregnancy and early infancy is the importance of these fatty acids, especially DHA, in the structural and functional development of the brain. Although DHA is found in cell membranes thr...

There are many plausible reasons to think that increased consumption of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) during pregnancy or infancy may reduce the development of atopic allergic diseases, such as eczema, wheeze and rhinitis. These allergies in infants and children are characterized by the in...

The importance of long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) in fetal and infant development derives from the involvement of these fatty acids in brain structure and function and cell signaling in the brain, retina and neural cells. During development, the fetus depends on the maternal supply of these fatty acids ...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy. The condition is a concern because it poses health risks to the mother and offspring and is increasing, thanks to the increase in overweight and obesity. GDM is associated with poorer perinatal outcomes, increa...

Less well known than adult strokes are those occurring in infants. They may affect up to 1,700 infants in the U.S. each year. Pediatric strokes are often related to changes in hemostasis in the mother or the placenta, particularly around the time of birth. An infant experiencing a stroke faces an in...

The importance of long-chain (LC) PUFAs in pregnancy and early infancy is well recognized. The mother’s dietary intake largely determines her tissue stores and the concentration of these fatty acids in her breast milk. Maternal transfer during the last trimester of pregnancy and breastfeeding ensure...

Perinatal depressive illness has implications for pregnancy outcomes, the development of a healthy mother-child relationship, infant and child development and the mother’s ability to cope with the stress of caring for a newborn. Prevalence estimates suggest that major and minor episodes of depressiv...

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) entails a complex set of disturbances and behaviors that impairs a person’s ability to function and increases the chances that the symptoms will persist to adulthood and predispose to poor occupational functioning. ADHD has been described by the Americ...