Pregnant women who eat fish give child head start
By Danell Swim
March 27, 2008
Women who eat fish regularly during pregnancy give their unborn children a dramatic intellectual advantage, scientists have discovered.
Research based on more than 300 children tested at the age of 3 shows that those whose mothers ate fish more than twice a week during the second trimester performed better in intelligence tests.
“Maternal fish intake more than twice a week was associated with improved performance on tests of language and motor skills. Dietary recommendations for pregnant women should incorporate the nutritional benefits as well as the risks of fish intake,” said the Harvard University researchers.
“In the present study, women who ate more than two weekly servings of tuna had children who performed better on the developmental tests,” Professor Emily Oken said.
But the effects may hinge on the type of fish, because the research also shows that the children of women with the highest levels of mercury, a heavy metal found in trace amounts in some fish, scored poorly.
Comments
Got something to say?