Fish, Longer Breastfeeding Lead to Better Development
Women who eat low mercury fish have babies with higher cognitive and motor levels
Cognitive development and motor skills in infants can be greatly impacted by fish intake during pregnancy and longer breastfeeding after birth, a recent study shows.
According to the study of infants and mothers conducted in Denmark, it is beneficial for pregnant women to increase their consumption of low-mercury fish during pregnancy. In addition, the study reaffirmed the benefits of breastfeeding. Children whose mothers ate the most fish were more likely to have better motor and cognitive skills. Children of mothers who ate the most fish, equivalent to about two ounces per day, were 25 percent more likely to have higher developmental scores at six months. At 18 months, the percentage was up to 30.
"These results, together with findings from other studies of women in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, provide additional evidence that moderate maternal fish intake during pregnancy does not harm child development and may on balance be beneficial," says assistant professor Emily Oken, lead author of the study. The findings, researchers believe, are linked to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in both breast milk and fish. In the past, pregnant women have been told to avoid more than two servings per week of fish because high levels of mercury can reverse the positive benefits of omega-3.
"In previous work in a population of U.S. women, we similarly found that higher prenatal fish consumption was associated with an overall benefit for child cognitive development, but that higher mercury levels attenuated this benefit," Dr. Oken says. "Therefore, women should continue to eat fish - especially during pregnancy - but should choose fish types likely to be lower in mercury." Women in this study reported eating fish that are low in mercury such as cod, plaice, salmon, herring, and mackerel.
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