Scientists say that the level of fatty acids in the blood can assess the risk of premature birth.

Fatty acids are one of the main sources of energy for the body, the researchers emphasized.. Dr. Theresa O. Scholl from the School of Medicine in New Jersey and Dr. Xinhua Chen note that the effect of fatty acids on the course of pregnancy has not been widely studied. The author's article was published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Scientists conducted a study in which they measured the level of fatty acids in the blood of pregnant women who were in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Experts took into account the body weight of participants and other factors. As a result, it appeared that in women whose fatty acid levels in the blood were highest during pregnancy, the risk of premature birth was 3.5 times higher.

The authors emphasize that neither pre-pregnancy obesity nor a number of other factors, whose influence on premature birth is a proven fact, for example, smoking, preterm birth, ethnicity, were not associated with the revealed relationship.

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