Pregnant? Go Fish!

In a study recently published by the Journal of Pediatric Research, scientists in Finland found that babies whose mothers ate fish three or more times a week during the last trimester of their pregnancy fared better on visual tests than those whose mothers ate no fish or only up to two portions per week.

The researchers collected nutritional information from 56 pregnant women using food diaries, then measured blood levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, or omega-3’s, and used a method to assess visual functioning in both mothers and babies when the newborns were one month old.

The results shouldn’t come as a surprise, as omega fatty acids help to properly form nerve cells in the retina, and are essential for eye development in children.  Other nutrients present in fish, such as vitamin D, may also play a role in increasing visual performance in both moms and babies.

While increasing fish consumption sounds like the right thing to do, moms-to-be still need to be cautious about the types of fish they eat, watching for Mercury levels and other contaminants.  People can soak up more omega-3’s safely by looking for species like wild salmon, sardines, farmed rainbow trout, mussels and Atlantic mackerel.

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