Fish oils - can you give birth to smart babies safely?

Fish Oil during Pregnancy

The consumption of fish rich with the omega-3 fatty acids is something that confuses a lot of pregnant women because it can cause mercury poisoning, but it is also very important for a proper development of the fetus. The problem becomes even deeper when we look at the fact that 85% of pregnant women need these fatty acids since deficiency tends to occur during the pregnancy. We will try to find some balance and state pros and cons for the consumption of fish oils during pregnancy.

Benefits

We have to consume the omega-3 fatty acids since the human body cannot produce it and it is essential for the proper functioning of the body. We have to consume it from supplements and food such as oily fish, which are rich in the mentioned fatty acids. But the benefits associated with the omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy are something that most women are not aware of, which leads to the problems with deficiency of this acid during most pregnancies. During pregnancy, women can get sufficient amounts of DHA and EPA but only 2% of women during pregnancy achieve this. The docosahezaenoic acid is the DHA, while eicosapentaenoic is marked with EPA. These promote healthy nervous system and brain and can be found in fish oil. Even formulas have DHA since it is crucial for the proper development of the baby. The growing brain depends greatly on the DHA, which makes 8% of the whole brain's weight. Nervous system and brain will need the EPA as well. Some complications, like brain loss of 3% during last 3 months of pregnancy, can occur due to deficiency of DHA and EPA. One study was conducted in the Australia on the benefits of fatty acids on the development of the children. The results showed that those who took fish oil during pregnancy had children with increased vocabulary and comprehension when compared to the children whose mothers took olive oil. Also, there were some differences in the eye and hand coordination, while language skill remained the same. As you can see, children whose mothers took fish oil showed greater abilities in most fields.

Dangers

Combination of the dioxin, PCB's, mercury with the fish oil can sometimes pose a problem for pregnant women. This happens rarely but it can lead to premature birth, which occurs only in 4% of all cases. So when we look at the situation clearly, we have to say that there are much more benefits associated with the consumption of fish oils during pregnancy than dangers and this is why doctors advise it. Nervous system, brain, vocabulary, comprehension and coordination will be improved due to use of fish oils.