Fish Oil In Pregnancy. Is It A Good Idea Or Not?
There is now pretty much evidence of the health benefits of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fish oil. But what about when you're pregnant. Should you take fish oil in pregnancy?
There's a few questions here. Firstly is fish oil safe to take in pregnancy? Absolutely. There are no documented risks to taking fish oil capsules during pregnancy, for the normal healthy mother.
And the second question is, what are the health benefits to both the mother and the baby of taking fish oil in pregnancy?
Studies suggest a very wide range of health benefits to adults, both healthy and unhealthy, from taking fish oil supplements. So any pregnant mother should get the same benefits. But there's more which I discuss below.
But equally importantly what benefits are there to the fetus or the baby, later, from the mother taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy?
The studies have shown a wide range of benefits. In the US around 95% of adults are deficient in Omega 3 fats, particularly DHA, the most important Omega 3 fat found in fish.
The brain is made up of a high percentage of fat, and a lot of this fat is DHA. And during the third trimester the fetal brain requires quite a lot of DHA to develop fully. And if there is a deficiency of DHA this has later brain performance implications.
Some studies are now showing that fish oil supplements in pregnancy can increase the supply of DHA to the fetal brain with some or all of the following benefits:
Improved brain function. Increased ability to concentrate as a child. Improvements in hand/eye coordination. Improvement in the ability to concentrate. Better sleep patterns in infancy. A beneficial, or preventative effect for ADHD. Improvements in visual acuity.
and much more.
And some studies even show that low levels of DHA in pregnancy can lead to a higher risk of cesarean.
That's a pretty impressive list. Lets look at the benefits of taking fish oil capsules during pregnancy to the mother again.
Lower risk of postpartum depression. Reduced risk of breast cancer. Lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Reduced risk of a cesarean birth.
So, convinced of the benefits of taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy yet? Remember that 95% of US adults have too little DHA, that includes during pregnancy. It's not going to change unless you make it change.
Should you get your Omega 3 fats from eating fish? No problem, as long as you don't eat a lot. There are plenty of government warnings about eating fish due to mercury contamination. So how do you get your good healthy Omega 3 fats in pregnancy? Take Omega 3 capsules. The best ones aren't contaminated by mercury. But not all Omega 3 capsules are the same.
If you want to find out how to compare the different Omega 3 capsules, or more about Omega 3 in pregnancy, visit my website.
Want to know more about Fish Oil Benefits? Or more about taking Fish Oil In Pregnancy? Visit Peter's Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.