Eating Fish During Pregnancy Helps Kid's Brain Development

A new study has found that eating fish during pregnancy benefits baby's brain development.

Fish and shell fish contain mercury. To avoid negative effects of mercury on the baby, health experts recommend women planning a pregnancy, already pregnant and nursing mothers to fully avoid eating sharks, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish or limit their fish intake to two average meals containing fish or shell fish lower in mercury.

For the study, a team of researchers from Rochester, University of Ulster and Republic of Seychelles looked at 225 women and their children. Health and nutrition intake of the mothers were collected and recorded. Language skills and intelligence of children were measured at different stages.

Researchers noticed children's scores in language skills and development going up with mothers' omega-3 fatty acid intake. Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for brain development.  Fish oils, squid oil, algal oil and plant oils (echium and flaxseed oil) are some sources rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

"This study shows that there are no adverse effects of prenatal mercury exposure from fish on children at 5 years old on 10 developmental outcomes when adjusted for maternal levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, we found positive associations with those nutrients and children's language development," said Phil W. Davidson, who was involved in the study in a news release.

Researchers found children of mothers with high level of omega -3 fatty acids that are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) doing better in preschool language and verbal assessments.

"Based on our results, we would argue that the beneficial effects of fish consumption during pregnancy outweigh any adverse effects of methyl mercury," said Sean Strain, lead author of the Journal of Nutrition paper and professor of Nutrition at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

The study has been published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Findings of the current study contradict a study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, conducted by  Dr. Sharon K. Sagiv, of the Boston University School of Public Health and colleagues. According to the authors, exposure to even low level of mercury before pregnancy through consumption of fish can increase women's chances of having children with symptoms of attention- deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).