New guidance from Office of Dietary Supplements on omega-3s for pregnancy health
The ODS recognizes DHA's role in reducing preterm birth risk, citing several studies and reports.
Image | adobe.stock/Lena Ivanova
In an April 10, 2025, press release1, OmegaQuant elaborated on updates from the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) on the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and reducing the risk of preterm and early preterm births. Part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the ODS provides guidance for healthcare professionals on supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids, noting that they are among the nutrients potentially under-consumed by pregnant women2. While the daily recommended intake for DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has not been established, the ODS guidelines indicated that “experts recommend all women of childbearing age consume at least 250 mg/day of DHA plus EPA from diet or supplements, and an additional 100 to 200 mg/day of DHA during pregnancy.”2
Superficially, the guidelines stated that, “long-chain omega-3 supplements, particularly DHA, have been shown to reduce the risk of preterm and early preterm birth” and referenced the 2018 Cochrane Review that included 70 randomized controlled trials, a 2022 statement from the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, and a 2016 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)2.
The upper limit of omega-3s has not been established, though one 2024 clinical practice guideline stated that 1,000 mg per day of DHA or DHA and EPA by pregnant women did not raise safety concerns2.
“This is an important step forward since a major agency of the US government has finally officially recognized that a marine omega-3 – DHA – can reduce risk for a human health condition — preterm birth,” stated Bill Harris, PhD, president of the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI), in the press release. “Hopefully, this will open the door for other agencies to make specific omega-3 recommendations for other conditions.”
The nonprofit FARI foundation focuses on research on the health effects of fatty-acids, especially omega-3s.
“We are happy to see the recommendation for the use of omega-3s in pregnancy by the Office of Dietary Supplements,” stated Kristina Harris Jackson, PhD, director of research for OmegaQuant Analytics. “Our goal is to help clinicians and individuals implement these recommendations to help move the needle on improving pregnancy outcomes for women in the US and worldwide.”
A CLIA-certified independent laboratory, OmegaQuant offers nutritional status testing in both blood and breastmilk, having already launched Prenatal DHA and Mother’s Milk DHA tests.
“We believe women should not only be in interested in their intake of this important nutrient but equally so when it comes to knowing their blood or milk level of DHA. That’s why we highly encourage women to make sure they measure their DHA level before, during and after pregnancy,” Dr. Jackson added.
References
- OmegaQuant. ODS Recognizes Importance of Omega-3 DHA for Preterm and Early Preterm Birth Prevention https://omegaquant.com/ods-recognizes-importance-of-omega-3-dha-for-preterm-and-early-preterm-birth-prevention/# (accessed 2025-04-22).
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements and Life Stages: Pregnancy https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Pregnancy-HealthProfessional/#en169 (accessed 2025-04-22).
