Condition

Premature Birth

Premature birth is delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, often linked to infection, inflammation, a short cervix, or carrying more than one baby. Folate and omega-3 fats have drawn the most research, but reviews of folic acid found mixed results for birth weight, and omega-3 showed no clear difference in infant death risk. The evidence is limited overall, and any benefit may matter most for women who are low in key nutrients.

Sources: PMID 22992251; PMID 26901401; PMID 34069867

Supplements studied: 6
Graded outcomes: 3
Trials: 4
People studied: 39,980

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

6 supplements

Fish Oil

Fish Oil: outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Infant Birth Weight Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		2,302 people
	Pre-Eclampsia Risk	Changes; see studies		1 study	1,831 people
Studies that measured pre-eclampsia risk Marine oil, and other prostaglandin precursor, supplementation for pregnancy uncomplicated by pre-eclampsia or intrauterine growth restrictionCochrane Database Syst Rev · PMID 16856006

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9): outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Studies	People
	Infant Birth Weight Mixed effect		2 studies	5,332 people
Studies that measured infant birth weight Effect of folate intake on health outcomes in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis on birth weight, placental weight and length of gestation.Nutr J · PMID 22992251 Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy to prevent preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol · PMID 26901401
	Infant Death Risk	Improves (the measure goes down)		4,002 people

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Infant Death Risk
Pregnancy Complications: improves

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Infant Death Risk No effect		NoneNo effect	1 study	16,066 people
Studies that measured infant death risk Supplementation of Omega 3 during Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · PMID 34069867
	Pregnancy Complications	Improves (the measure goes up)			17,156 people

Vitamin C

Preterm Birth Risk: changes; see studies

Vitamin C: outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Preterm Birth Risk	Changes; see studies		1 study	9,968 people
Studies that measured preterm birth risk Vitamin C and E supplementation to prevent spontaneous preterm birth: a randomized controlled trialObstet Gynecol · PMID 20733448

Inositol

Gestational Diabetes Risk: changes; see studies

Inositol: outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Gestational Diabetes Risk	Changes; see studies		1 study	83 people
Studies that measured gestational diabetes risk Myo-inositol may prevent gestational diabetes in PCOS womenGynecol Endocrinol · PMID 22122627

Docosahexaenoic Acid

Child behavioral development: improves

Docosahexaenoic Acid: outcomes studied for Premature Birth
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Child behavioral development	Improves (the measure goes up)		1 study	132 people
Studies that measured child behavioral development Maternal high-dose docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and neurodevelopment at 5 Years of preterm children.Clin Nutr ESPEN · PMID 39396702

Key findings

Infant Birth WeightFish OilImproves (the measure goes down)
Infant Death RiskOmega-3 Fatty Acids

The Premature Birth Prevention Support protocol

2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (DHA/EPA)500–1,000 mg DHA daily (minimum 200 mg DHA; EPA+DHA total 1–2 g)
Vitamin D2,000–4,000 IU daily (target 40–60 ng/mL)

See the full protocol

Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

Oil massage in neonates: an open randomized controlled study of coconut versus mineral oilIndian Pediatr · PMID 16208048