Fish intake by pregnant women improve the development of a child’s brain
Exciting research out of Japan indicates that a maternal diet with proper omega6 to Omega3 balance could lead to improved brain function & increased brain size in the developing fetus. Moreover, the study also revealed that regardless of the animals having a healthy diet in later life, those with imbalances in their Omega fats (excess Omega6, deficient Omega3) while in utero had increased anxiety-related behaviours as adults!
Animal studies of course are never conclusive and anxiety disorders and brain health can be affected by various factors. However, this is one important area where you have the power to take your health and your developing fetus’ health within your control.
Good nutrition contributes to good health. But every parent knows how difficult and challenging it is to feed your rebellious two/three year old healthy food despite your best intentions. From a psychological perspective, you want to give your toddler and growing pre-schooler some choice where nutrition is concerned -forcefully feeding your children what you think they need may be more damaging than beneficial where their mental/emotional health is concerned.
This is why studies such as the one above are so exciting! No matter how good a child’s diet, there seems to be a more significant indicator of health -the Gestational period. So take things in control when YOU CAN. Feed yourself well and ensure the optimal development of your fast growing fetus.
To learn more about the proper Omega3:omega6 ratio’s and why we need more fish oils to improve this balance, see this blog AND this blog.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Negin Misaghi, ND
Journal Reference:
- Nobuyuki Sakayori, Takako Kikkawa, Hisanori Tokuda, Emiko Kiryu, Kaichi Yoshizaki, Hiroshi Kawashima, Tetsuya Yamada, Hiroyuki Arai, Jing X. Kang, Hideki Katagiri, Hiroshi Shibata, Sheila M. Innis, Makoto Arita, Noriko Osumi. Maternal dietary imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids impairs neocortical development via epoxy metabolites. STEM CELLS, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/stem.2246
