Discussion
BPD
We previously found that providing the in utero DHA requirement to children born at less than 29 weeks’ gestation was associated with improved IQ at 5 years’ corrected age, despite an increased risk of BPD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age.The limited evidence for an indirect effect on IQ via BPD suggests that the mechanisms by which DHA supplementation was associated with improved IQ may differ from those for BPD. While the exact biological mechanisms by which DHA may be associated with IQ are not known, a substantial body of work indicates that DHA has structural and functional roles in neural tissues, including in synaptogenesis and neurite growth, that may contribute to cognitive benefits.