Children born to mothers who have had enough omega-3 fatty acid during pregnancy may have sharper problem-solving skills. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the major omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish like salmon (raavas), sardine (pedvey) and tuna (chura). Many studies have found that DHA supplements during pregnancy seem to offer a developmental advantage later in childhood as well. Because of the fat's vital role in brain development, experts recommend that pregnant women get 300 milligrams (mg) of DHA each day. Women can get this quota of DHA per day by eating a couple tuna fish sandwiches, plus a serving of fatty fish like salmon, each week. Other sources of DHA include fish oil pills and algae-derived DHA, which is included in some prenatal vitamins. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should, however, avoid certain fatty fish, because they could have high mercury levels. These include shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. An earlier study found that giving women fish oil during pregnancy and during the first few months of breastfeeding seemed to boost their children's IQ scores at the age of 4 years. Researchers from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge studied 29 women in their 24th week of pregnancy. Fourteen women were randomly assigned to eat a cereal bar supplemented with 300 mg of DHA from fish oil, while the rest were given a bar with added corn oil to serve as a comparison. On an average, the women ate five bars per week. The findings suggest that 9-month-olds whose mothers had eaten DHA-fortified bars during pregnancy performed better on a test of problem-solving abilities than infants whose mothers had not added DHA to their diets. The babies underwent standard tests of infant problem solving and memory at the age of 9 months. The problem-solving task tested the infants' ability to retrieve a toy that was covered by a cloth. In general, babies in the DHA group performed better on the test than those in the comparison group. There was no difference between the two groups on the memory test. The results show that DHA during pregnancy benefits problem solving but not recognition memory in infants at 9 months of age, and most pregnant women can benefit from increasing the intake of DHA in their diets.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
June 2007