Background: DHA is an essential omega-3 (ω-3; n-3) fatty acid that has well-established benefits for the fetus. DHA also has the potential to influence the health of the mother, but this area is understudied.
Objectives: The objective of this secondary analysis was to determine if DHA was related to maternal heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in a large cohort of pregnant women.
Methods: In the parent trial (1R01HD086001) eligible participants (≥18 y old, English speaking, carrying a singleton pregnancy, 12-20 wk of gestation) were randomly assigned to consume 200 mg/d or 800 mg/d DHA for the duration of their pregnancy (n = 300). Weight, blood pressure, and magnetocardiograms (MCGs) were collected at 32 wk and 36 wk of gestation (n = 221). Measures of HR and HRV in time-, frequency-, and nonlinear-domains were determined from the isolated maternal MCG. Treatment group and timepoint were examined as predictors in association with HR and HRV metrics using random-intercept mixed-effects ANOVA unadjusted and adjusted models accounting for weight and dietary DHA intake.
Results: Women receiving the higher dose of DHA (800 mg/d) during pregnancy had lower HR, lower sympathetic index, higher vagally mediated HRV indices, and greater HRV complexity when compared with the women who received the lower dose (200 mg/d; all P < 0.05). All the dose relations remained significant even after controlling for the effect of time, maternal weight, and dietary DHA intake.
Conclusions: DHA supplementation increases vagal tone in pregnant women. Longitudinal studies examining the potential link between DHA, enhanced vagal tone, and reported reduction in early preterm birth are warranted.
Keywords: dietary supplements; docosahexaenoic acid; fatty acids; female; heart rate variability; pregnancy.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.