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Fish Oil good for Pregnancy
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Fish oil during pregnancy may boost brainpower in children, according to research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. High-dose fish oil supplements were also found to be safe for pregnant mothers and their fetuses.
Fish oil has been considered to be an important part of a healthy diet for years, because it contains easily absorbed long-chain fatty acids essential for normal brain and eye development. The last trimester of pregnancy is thought to be a key time for fish oil consumption because the babies’ brain is developing very rapidly during this time, which continues on into the first few months of its life.
Because of its powerful anti-inflammatory effects, researchers wanted to assess whether fish oil taken during pregnancy would protect children from allergies. This sub-study is the first to evaluate whether high doses are safe for the fetus and to assess the effect on brain development.
The researchers studied 98 pregnant women who were either given 4g of fish oil supplements or 4g of olive oil supplements daily from the 20th week of pregnancy to childbirth.
At two and a half years, the children in both groups were similar in height and weight. However, the children of the women in the fish oil group had significantly better hand-eye coordination than the control group. They also had higher vocabulary scores and language development.
Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings, and women considering taking large doses should consult their doctors first.
These preliminary findings are exciting because they provide evidence that a simple high-quality fish oil supplement during pregnancy can significantly boost a child’s brain development.
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