Benefits of Consuming Fish While Pregnant: But Watch the Mercury

Some interesting research has just been released that indicates a correlation between better brain health for youngsters and the amount of fish their mothers eat. Actually we should not be surprised, as Essential Fatty Acids are just that - Essential! Compared to other organs of the body, the brain harbors the largest density of fat. During the last three months of pregnancy and then continuing through the first year of the childs life, fatty acids are integrated into brain cells and also the retina of the eye. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, and arachidonic acid (ARA) are the most important fatty acids for brain and retina development. The accumulation of DHA in the fetal brain chiefly comes from the mothers intake of fish. DHA concentrations in brain tissues continue to increase three to five times during the last trimester of pregnancy, and then as much again during the first three months of the babys life. DHA accumulation in the brain then persists for at least the first 2 years after birth.

Unfortunately, because of the toxicity of our oceans, rivers, and streams, eating significant amounts of fish can lead to excessive mercury exposure and all the risks related to that. The fish that are highest in omega-3 fatty acids are also often high in mercury. A good solution is to find other foods high in omega-3 such as organic flax seed, organic hemp seed, and hemp seed milk for example, or the use of quality supplements that can provide an excellent source of such nutrients. Implementing a lifestyle that promotes natural health and wellness is certainly not an easy task in this day and age of toxic food, water, and environment, but with strong desire and discipline along with the willingness to educate ourselves regarding all the options, it definitely can be accomplished and the pay offs are priceless.


Mom's fish intake may boost child's brain power
But mothers must be careful to avoid high-mercury varieties of seafood
Reuters
updated 4:00 p.m. CT, Tues., April. 1, 2008

Preschoolers whose mothers regularly ate low-mercury fish during pregnancy may have sharper minds than their peers, a study suggests.

Researchers found that among 341 3-year-olds, those whose mothers ate more than two servings of fish per week during pregnancy generally performed better on tests of verbal, visual and motor development.

On the other hand, tests scores were lower among preschoolers whose mothers had relatively high mercury levels in their blood during pregnancy.

And mothers who regularly ate fish during pregnancy were more likely to have such mercury levels than non-fish-eaters were, the researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The findings add to evidence that fish can be brain-food, but underscore the importance of choosing lower-mercury fish during pregnancy.

"Recommendations for fish consumption during pregnancy should take into account the nutritional benefits of fish as well as the potential harms from mercury exposure," write the researchers, led by Dr. Emily Oken of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Show caution with fatty fishOily fish such as tuna, salmon and sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are important in fetal and child brain development. The problem is that fatty fish are more likely to be contaminated with mercury, a metal that is toxic to brain cells, particularly in fetuses and young children.

Because of this, pregnant women are advised to avoid certain fish altogether: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. These fish are particularly high in mercury because they eat other fish and are long-lived, over time accumulating mercury in their fat tissue.

Less clear is how the benefits of other omega-3-containing fish stack up against the potential risks. Currently, U.S. health officials recommend that pregnant women eat no more than 12 ounces, or roughly two servings, of fish per week.

For the current study, Oken's team collected blood samples from 341 women during their second trimester and asked them how often they ate various foods, including fish. When their children were 3 years old, they took standard tests of vocabulary, visual-spatial skills and fine-motor coordination of the hands and fingers.

Overall, the researchers found, children whose mothers ate fish more than twice a week had higher test scores.

However, children whose mothers had mercury levels in the top 10 percent of the study scored more poorly than those whose mothers had lower mercury levels.

Only 2 percent of mothers who never ate fish during pregnancy had blood mercury levels that high, versus 23 percent of those who ate fish more than twice weekly.

Low-mercury varieties urgedAccording to Oken's team, the bottom line is that eating fish lower in mercury could "allow for stronger benefits of fish intake."

Fish that are high in omega-3 but relatively lower in mercury include canned light tuna, which has less mercury than albacore tuna, and smaller oily fish like salmon. White-meat fish such as cod and haddock tend to be low in mercury, but have less omega-3 than fattier fish.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Harvard. Some of Oken's co-researchers have received funding from the food and supplement industry.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23904065/