The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Essay Example

A study by Carlson, et.al (2013) addresses the significance of DHA in increasing birth weight, length of pregnancy, and other outcomes. The study included 350 pregnant women and demonstrated that DHA is observed in higher levels in cord and maternal blood and is also related to improved growth and duration of the pregnancy (Carlson et.al, 2013). This data is based on intent-to-treat and did not identify any safety concerns; furthermore, the results appear to be accurate, plausible, and effective in supporting the growth of the fetus to a longer term (Carlson et.al, 2013). The research approach also appears to be congruent with the study objectives (Carlson et.al, 2013).

The data collection technique is appropriate, using a double-blind, randomized controlled trial (Carlson et.al, 2013). This study supports the belief that DHA is important in promoting infant growth and fuller term pregnancies and reduces the risks associated with low birth weight and preterm births (Carlson et.al, 2013). The double blinded approach is clear and necessary for this study to prove DHA’s effectiveness, and the size of 350 patients appears to be appropriate (Carlson et.al, 2013). The use of SPSS software is essential to perform data analysis and to determine the efficacy of DHA in the latter stages of pregnancy, and in particular, the use of linear regression (Carlson et.al, 2013). The findings appear to be consistent with the intended objectives and summaries are provided in table form; in addition, these results convey the importance of considering DHA as a possible strategy during the latter stages of pregnancy in order to promote the growth of the fetus and to facilitate a full term pregnancy rather than a preterm birth (Carlson et.al, 2013; Shaddy, 2013). This supplement supports the possible expansion of DHA supplementation in pregnant women without any real side effects to promote fetal growth and development with the intended timeframe in place (Carlson et.al, 2013).

References

Carlson, S. E., Colombo, J., Gajewski, B. J., Gustafson, K. M., Mundy, D., Yeast, J., … & Shaddy, D. J. (2013). DHA supplementation and pregnancy outcomes. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 97(4), 808-815.