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Fish Oil: Good for Babies?

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Reproductive System related image Photo: Getty Images

Scientists have concluded that taking fish oil during pregnancy may not be as helpful as it was once thought to be. We have all heard about the benefits of fish oil in general, such as lowering high triglycerides (associated with heart attacks and diabetes) and possibly affecting high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual pain and even ADHD in children. But when it comes to the unborn, new results have been revealed.

After testing 185 infants (their mothers had taken fish oil during the last half of their pregnancies), scientists concluded that unborn babies’ vision improvement was not affected. Dr. Marie Makrides, the lead researcher in this Australian study, said full-term babies, especially if they were well-nourished, showed no improvement in “enhanced vision development."

This finding is in direct contrast to previous study results. It was found that premature babies, however, only respond to fish oil (or docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] found in fish oil) supplemented after birth.

"One reason may be that preemies need the extra DHA, whereas full-term babies get all they need for normal visual development while still in the womb," Makrides said.

But before you throw away your prenatal vitamins with DHA, it is still believed that there are other benefits from taking fish oil during pregnancy. For instance, according to an article on FoxNews.com, some studies have suggested that fish oil can decrease the risks of preterm births. More trial studies are needed to confirm this theory, of course. Until then, the recommended requirement for pregnant mothers in regard to DHA is 200 milligrams daily.

Fish Oil
NIH.gov
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/993.html#Effectiveness

Fish Oil in Pregnancy May Not Boost Babies’ Vision
FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/27/fish-oil-pregnancy-boost-babies-vision/

Reviewed June 3, 2011

Dita Faulkner is an avid movie lover and blogger. Please visit her blog at: http://dita40.wordpress.com/.

Edited by Kate Kunkel

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Anonymous

The main reason to take omega 3 fish oil as a supplement is to compensate the lack of omega 3 fats in modern diets. Western diets have 20 to 50 times less omega 3 that what we need, they are loaded with omega 6 (pro-inflammatory fats found in grains and grain oils).

When a future modern starts pregnancy usually has an omega 3 deficiency that could affect the brain or neurological development of the child, since omega 3 fats are the raw material of brain cell connections.

More at http://www.omega-3-fish-oil-wonders.com/pregnancy-and-fish-oil.html

June 10, 2011 - 7:18am

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Dita Faulkner
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.