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Serum fatty acid distributions and prevalence of low omega-3 status in early pregnancy: A cross-sectional analysis of 26,389 samples from an omega-3 test-and-treat program.

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Τίτλος: Serum fatty acid distributions and prevalence of low omega-3 status in early pregnancy: A cross-sectional analysis of 26,389 samples from an omega-3 test-and-treat program.
Συγγραφείς: Best KP; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: karen.best@adelaide.edu.au., Gibson R; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Adelaide University, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, Australia., Mugford M; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Bednarz J; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; School of Public Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Linedale EC; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Dimasi CG; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Quinlivan J; Institute for Health Research, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Centennial Hospital for Women and Children, ACT Health, Canberra, Australia., Makrides M; Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Πηγή: Prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and essential fatty acids [Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids] 2026 Oct; Vol. 210, pp. 102748. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 30.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Churchill Livingstone Country of Publication: Scotland NLM ID: 8802730 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-2823 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09523278 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Edinburgh ; New York : Churchill Livingstone, c1988-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Fatty Acids, Omega-3*/blood , Fatty Acids*/blood, South Australia/epidemiology ; Fatty Acids, Omega-6/blood ; Premature Birth/blood ; Premature Birth/prevention & control ; Premature Birth/epidemiology ; Docosahexaenoic Acids/blood ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Dietary Supplements ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
Περίληψη: Background: Despite evidence that omega-3 supplementation reduces early preterm birth, population-level data on the distribution of fatty acids in pregnancy are limited. Statewide early-pregnancy screening data were used to describe serum fatty acid profiles.
Methods: We analysed serum fatty acid classes (saturated, monounsaturated, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA] and omega-3 PUFA) from women in South Australia's Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program (Apr 2021-Apr 2025). Samples collected at <20 weeks' gestation were measured by gas chromatography (% total fatty acids). Total omega-3 PUFA (alpha-linolenic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] + docosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) was classified as low (<3.7%), moderate (3.7-4.3%) or sufficient (>4.3%).
Results: Among 26,389 samples, omega-6 PUFA was highest (median 36.9%), followed by saturated fatty acids (31.6%), monounsaturated fatty acids (26.2%), and omega-3 PUFA (4.4%). Total omega-3 PUFA, DHA and EPA were right-skewed, whereas arachidonic acid (AA) had a narrow distribution. Overall, 16.1% were classified as low total omega-3, 26.7% were moderate and 57.2% sufficient. Compared with samples classified as sufficient, those with low omega-3 had higher linoleic acid (29.0%vs 26.9%) and slightly lower AA (6.2%vs 7.1%). The clinically validated cut-off for low omega-3 (<3.7%) was similar to one standard deviation below the cohort mean (mean -1 SD = 3.47%).
Conclusion: Around one in six samples had low serum total omega-3 status. These data quantify early-pregnancy serum fatty acid profiles and demonstrate the clinically validated low omega-3 cut-off lies in the lower tail of the population distribution, providing context for biomarker-guided screening in pregnancy.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Robert Gibson and Maria Makrides were awarded a Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences SA project grant, paid to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, for work unrelated to this article. Robert Gibson holds the patent “Stabilising and analysing fatty acids in a biological sample stored on solid media” (AU2013209278). The other authors declare no competing interests.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Biomarker; Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; Omega-3; Omega-6; Population screening; Preterm birth; Prevention
Substance Nomenclature: 0 (Fatty Acids, Omega-3)
0 (Fatty Acids)
0 (Fatty Acids, Omega-6)
NS3OZT14QT (docosapentaenoic acid)
25167-62-8 (Docosahexaenoic Acids)
0 (Fatty Acids, Unsaturated)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260609 Date Completed: 20260910 Latest Revision: 20260910
Update Code: 20260911
DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2026.102748
PMID: 42263597
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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  Data: Serum fatty acid distributions and prevalence of low omega-3 status in early pregnancy: A cross-sectional analysis of 26,389 samples from an omega-3 test-and-treat program.
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: Despite evidence that omega-3 supplementation reduces early preterm birth, population-level data on the distribution of fatty acids in pregnancy are limited. Statewide early-pregnancy screening data were used to describe serum fatty acid profiles.&lt;br /&gt;Methods: We analysed serum fatty acid classes (saturated, monounsaturated, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA] and omega-3 PUFA) from women in South Australia&#39;s Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program (Apr 2021-Apr 2025). Samples collected at &amp;lt;20 weeks&#39; gestation were measured by gas chromatography (% total fatty acids). Total omega-3 PUFA (alpha-linolenic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] + docosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) was classified as low (&amp;lt;3.7%), moderate (3.7-4.3%) or sufficient (&amp;gt;4.3%).&lt;br /&gt;Results: Among 26,389 samples, omega-6 PUFA was highest (median 36.9%), followed by saturated fatty acids (31.6%), monounsaturated fatty acids (26.2%), and omega-3 PUFA (4.4%). Total omega-3 PUFA, DHA and EPA were right-skewed, whereas arachidonic acid (AA) had a narrow distribution. Overall, 16.1% were classified as low total omega-3, 26.7% were moderate and 57.2% sufficient. Compared with samples classified as sufficient, those with low omega-3 had higher linoleic acid (29.0%vs 26.9%) and slightly lower AA (6.2%vs 7.1%). The clinically validated cut-off for low omega-3 (&amp;lt;3.7%) was similar to one standard deviation below the cohort mean (mean -1 SD = 3.47%).&lt;br /&gt;Conclusion: Around one in six samples had low serum total omega-3 status. These data quantify early-pregnancy serum fatty acid profiles and demonstrate the clinically validated low omega-3 cut-off lies in the lower tail of the population distribution, providing context for biomarker-guided screening in pregnancy.&lt;br /&gt; (Copyright &#169; 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
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  Data: Declaration of competing interest Robert Gibson and Maria Makrides were awarded a Nestl&#233; Institute of Health Sciences SA project grant, paid to the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, for work unrelated to this article. Robert Gibson holds the patent “Stabilising and analysing fatty acids in a biological sample stored on solid media” (AU2013209278). The other authors declare no competing interests.
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        Text: English
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        StartPage: 102748
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      – SubjectFull: South Australia epidemiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fatty Acids, Omega-6 blood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Premature Birth blood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Premature Birth prevention & control
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Premature Birth epidemiology
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