Scientists claim taking fish oil supplements during the last three months of pregnancy prevents your child from having asthma

Taking fish oil supplements could reduce the risk of a child being born with asthma, scientists claim. The benefit was found to be higher in mothers who had low levels of EPA and DHA - two key ingredients found in the capsules. It is believed a lack of both makes their children vulnerable to inflammation in their airways - which causes asthma.  But taking supplements during the final three months of pregnancy can alleviate the risk, a study suggests. Despite both the ingredients being present in fish, researchers say people are unlikely to get sufficient amounts through their diet. 
Danish researchers assessed 695 pregnant women who were given 2.4g of fish oil each day. The women began taking the fish oil and olive oil capsules at the 24th week of pregnancy and continued until one week after delivery. They found the supplements reduced the risk of their children developing the condition from 23.7 per cent to around 16.9 per cent. Among the women with low levels of EPA and DHA, the rate of asthma and wheezing in children was 17.5 per cent when they took fish oil. However, this was almost doubled when they were given the placebo supplement. Fish oil supplements also helped to lower babies' risk of lower respiratory tract infections, they discovered. Although they didn't seem to affect the odds of a baby developing eczema or allergies to milk or eggs. But the 2.4g dose is approximately 15 times higher than the average intake from a Western diet.
And experts say before these findings can be applied to clinical practice, it's important to determine the effects of such a large amount. It is believed that one in five young children are affected by asthma and wheezing disorders. But in recent decades, the rate has more than doubled in Western countries.
Kathleen Melanson, from the University of Rhode Island, who was not involved in the research, said it would be premature to widely recommend fish oil during pregnancy.