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Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential omega-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.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.In the parent trial (1R01HD086001) eligible participants (be ≥18 years old, English speaking, carrying a singleton pregnancy, between 12 to 20 weeks gestation) were randomly assigned to consume 200 mg/day or 800 mg/day of DHA for the duration of their pregnancy (n = 300). Weight, blood pressure, and magnetocardiograms (MCG) were collected at 32- and 36-weeks 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.Women receiving the higher dose of DHA (800 mg/day) during pregnancy had lower HR, lower sympathetic index, higher vagally-mediated HRV indices, and greater HRV complexity when compared to the women who received the lower dose (200mg/day; all p0.05). All the dose relationships remained significant even after controlling for the effect of time, maternal weight, and dietary DHA intake.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. |
