REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Maternal Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoic Acid Supplementation: Effects and Mechanisms on Lipid Metabolism in the Offspring
Provisionally accepted
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Dongcheng, China
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Environmental factors, such as nutrition, hormones, and metabolites, which are present in early stages of life, have long-lasting effects throughout an organism's lifespan, and an abnormal nutritional environment throughout gestation and lactation may significantly increase the possibility that offspring will develop chronic metabolic disorders. The important nutrients docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, EPA), which are essential long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, contribute to proper neurological and retinal development and exhibit both anti-inflammatory properties and lipid-reducing capabilities. Recent research has demonstrated that maternal diets supplemented with EPA and DHA may regulate lipid metabolism-related genes in the liver and adipose tissues and alter the intestinal microbial composition in offspring. These changes influence the progression of lipid metabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia, obesity, and MAFLD in the next generation. This narrative review illustrates the effects of maternal EPA and DHA intervention during the prenatal and breastfeeding period on lipid metabolism in the offspring and the underlying mechanisms. We also explore the directions for future research.
Keywords: DHA, EPA, Lactation, Lipid Metabolism, offspring, Pregnancy
Received: 13 Nov 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Shao, Lin, Yu, Chen, Ren, Ren, Zeng, Wu, Zhang and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qian Zhang
Xinhua Xiao
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