From association to mechanism: AA:DHA supplementation, the preterm gut microbiome, and retinopathy of prematurity.

AA:DHA supplementation may be associated with selected taxonomic and inferred functional features of the gut microbiome in extremely preterm infants, but current evidence does not establish the microbiome as a mediator of reduced severe retinopathy of prematurity. Denser longitudinal sampling and detailed information on antibiotics, feeding, microbial function, and clinical events are needed to move from microbial associations towards causal mechanisms.