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Omega-3 During Pregnancy Benefits Babies
> 4/11/2008 1:45:44 PM

Fatty acids, specifically Omega-3, have been the focus of many recent glowing reports, and they are now widely considered a crucial part of every adult's diet because of their physical and cognitive health benefits. However, the investigation into the effects of Omega-3 on child development is still in its infancy. A study published in the March issue of the Journal of Pediatrics confirmed the intuitive hypothesis that Omega-3 aids development, but found an important difference in whether the nutrition reached the child before or after birth.

Dr. Gina Muckle studied a population of Inuit in the Arctic, where fish rich in fatty acid are traditionally a dietary staple. She measured Omega-3 levels in the umbilical cords and breast-milk of 109 mothers, which correlate directly with the amount of Omega-3 ingested by mothers and absorbed by children. When the infants were evaluated at six and eleven months, there was no observable benefit to high levels of Omega-3 in breast milk, but there was a significant advantage conferred to infants who had been nourished by umbilical cords with high levels of Omega-3.

Children nourished by umbilical acid performed better on visual, motor, and cognitive tests. This underlines the importance of maternal eating habits during pregnancy. While breast feeding does give children many vital nutrients, Dr. Muckle's work suggest that omega-3 must reach the fetal brain while it is in the most active phase of neuron generation. Nurturing your child's mind is a life-long endeavor, one that begins even before birth.

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