Pregnant moms who eat fish may have smarter kids

Started by Sportsdude, Feb 16 07 09:30

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Sportsdude

 [h3]Pregnant moms who eat fish may have smarter kids[/h3]Women who eat seafood while pregnant may be boosting their children's IQ, says new research -- contradicting current recommendations that pregnant women limit seafood to avoid mercury.    The study concluded that women who ate more than 340 grams a week of fish or seafood -- the equivalent of two or three servings a week -- had smarter children with better developmental skills. [/p]Children whose mothers ate no seafood were 48 per cent more likely to have a low verbal IQ score, compared with children whose mothers ate high amounts of seafood, the researchers found.   The study, led by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, tracked the eating habits of 11,875 pregnant women in Bristol, Britain. [/p]At 32 weeks into their pregnancy, the women were asked to fill out a seafood consumption questionnaire. They were sent questionnaires four more times during their pregnancy, and then up to eight years after the birth of their child.   Researchers examined the children's social and communication skills, their hand-eye co-ordination, and their IQ levels. They concluded that fish in a mother's diet did affect their children's development. [/p]But since the study was based on self-reporting methods, the results cannot be considered entirely definitive.   Seafood for pregnant women has remained controversial, because the food contains both nutrients and toxins.
[/p]Fish is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential to brain development, is low in saturated fat and contains high-quality protein. But it can also contain mercury, which can cross the placenta and build up in a fetus' nervous system.   [/p]Large saltwater fish are of particular concern. Health Canada recommends that pregnant women, women of child-bearing age, and small children not consumer more than one meal per month of swordfish, shark and fresh tuna. [/p]Other Canadians should restrict consumption to one meal per week.   (Canned tuna is considered safer, because the species used tend to be smaller and shorter lived than those used in the fresh and frozen market, and therefore, the level of mercury found in canned tuna tends to be lower.) [/p]While experts believe further research is necessary to confirm these conclusions, the study's failure to find evidence of increased harm from eating fish is significant.   Because seafood contains both nutrients and toxins, it remains a dilemma for regulatory authorities what kinds of recommendations should exist for pregnant women. [/p]Hibbeln suggests that eating even more than three portions of fish or seafood a week could be beneficial to developing babies.   "Advice that limits seafood consumption might reduce the intake of nutrients necessary for optimum neurological development,'' he and his colleagues wrote. [/p]The study was primarily funded by Britain's Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the University of Bristol, and the British government.   The study is published in The Lancet.[/p][a href="vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070216/fish_kids_070216/20070216?hub=TopStories"]vny!://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070216/fish_kids_070216/20070216?hub=TopStories[/a]
   
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purelife

Yup, fish is good no matter if you're pregnant or not, female or not.  There are so many omega fatty acids in fish.  I love seafood.  Mmmmm...now I really want to bake some salmon soon.  I'm getting a wee bit tired from eating out of the cans. :(

Sportsdude

 cool eat more fish just don't eat wild fish from the mississippi river.  They may weigh 100lbs but they're 100% Mercury ridden. yeesh my river is polluted.  
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Sportsdude

My family has been for years trying to get my sister to eat fish. Funny thing is she loves canned tuna so one of these days I'm going to get the canned salmon from Trader Joes and say its tuna and of course she'll eat it. lol  
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P.C.

  I don't mind canned tuna, but canned salmon ?.....I just can't do it.  Ugh.
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Sportsdude

I'm forced to eat canned salmon because my parents hate it when I bake the fish I've got in the freezer.  They tell me to just buy it at the grocery store and have the workers there cook it for me (which they can do for you).  
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Lise

I totally agree with this finding. However, not that I eat tons of fish but I do eat food that contains a lot of omega 3 fatty acids which comes not only from fish but eggs as well. I believe it's the healthy fats in fish and eggs that give your kid the brain power it needs.

  On the flip side.... one should be cautious about eating too much fish though, especially when pregnant. There are far too much mercury in farmed fish than wild fish which can harm the unborn. Not to mention that pregnant women should stay away from sashimi at the risk of salmonella or worst.  
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Russ

I have so much frozen fish in my freezer, lol. Im a bit sick of fish.

  The only thing I eat out of cans are tuna. Uh, unless I go out for sushi and stuff.      
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