01.25.06
Prenatal Nutrition
To further my thoughts on prenatal nutrition here, ORGYN shows us that a well-balanced diet, including fish, is important:
Fish in pregnancy cultivates babies’ brains
Source: Generating Healthy Brains Meeting: Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, London, UK; 17 January 2006
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy is linked to neurological benefits in the resulting child.How much omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) a woman consumes during pregnancy may affect her child’s intelligence and social skills, research indicates.
Looking at data on 14,000 mother-child pairs collected over the past 15 years for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Dr Joseph Hibbeln (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) and Dr Jean Golding (University of Bristol, UK) found that the children of women who ate the smallest amounts of omega-3 FAs during pregnancy had verbal IQs 6 points below average.
Additionally, children who had the best fine motor skills at 3.5 years of age were born to mothers who had the highest intake of omega-3s FAs in pregnancy.
The prevalence of social problems, such as the inability to make friends, was evident in 14 percent of 7-year-olds whose mothers had the lowest omega 3 FA intake, compared with 8 percent of those with mothers in the highest intake group.
The findings are of particular concern as, at least in the USA, pregnant women are advised to limit their intake of oily fish in order to avoid exposing their unborn babies to trace amounts of methyl mercury, which can damage the brain.
The researchers say the latest data suggest that the benefits of eating omega-3 FAs, however, outweigh any risks.
Posted: 23 January 2006
Suz said,
May 30, 2006 at 1:06 am
I am pregnant and I loooove fish – Especially salmon. I am addicted to sushi normally too, but have stopped eating it now that I am prego. I suggest that everyone eat fish, pregnant or not to have a healthy life
Great blog by the way!
amanda said,
January 15, 2007 at 8:24 pm
very nice
sharon curran said,
January 19, 2007 at 11:20 am
I always called it an old wives tale, “Fish is brain food” but I ate salmon, mackerel, and sardines at least 3 times aweek on my first baby and the rate at which she is learnng and the things she understands are amazing. Her skills are amazing and I can only put it down to the fish. I am now 21 wks pregnant on my 2nd and have not really eaten fish at all and it genuinely concerns me. I’ll have to force myself to eat it with this one. Thats how much I believe in it.
Jason said,
August 16, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Most fish contains mercury. What’s healthy about that? Also, too much omega-3 oils and curcumin will drop your blood platelets causing you to bleed more. Is that a good thing?
fingerpaintings said,
August 16, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Yes most fish contains mercury, anyone eating fish should be aware of this and purchase fish from low-mercury stocks. I am also not denying that too much of anything is bad, including omega-3 and curcumin. Moderation is the key. I’m only reporting what the study says, if you want to discuss this with the authors, please feel free.