The Importance of Omega 3 during Pregnancy and Nursing

The EU (European Union) recently recommended pregnant and nursing women take daily omega 3 DHA fatty acid supplements.

The EU committee of more than 50 nutritional experts from the Perinatal Lipid Nutrition Group (PeriLip) and Early Nutrition Programming (EARNEST) unanimously agreed pregnant and nursing mothers should supplement their diets with 200 mgs/day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) – a long chain omega 3 fatty acid found primarily in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and tongol tuna/

The committee, with the support of seven international scientific organizations, made its recommendation based on two major points:

One – The committee revealed that pregnant and nursing women in western cultures don’t eat sufficient amounts of fatty fish; it is generally recommended that we consume two servings omega 3 DHA for a healthy pregnancy. The committee also discovered the average DHA intake of pregnant and lactating women in the U.S was less than 18 % of the recommended daily amount and only 2 % of these women meet their daily needs of DHA. Since your baby gets its nutrition from its mother, if the mother is not getting enough of the fish oil then is the developing baby in the womb or the nursing baby is not getting enough either.

Two – Research studies have revealed that women who have a high dietary intake of omega 3 DHA have much healthier pregnancies and deliver babies that have higher birth weight as well as babies that are full term. Not only that, the research showed the benefits to extend beyond birth as well. Babies who received the recommended amounts of omega 3 fish oils, particularly DHA when in the womb have optimum brain and eye development and motor, thinking and language skills. There is also a decreased risk of these babies developing asthma, juvenile diabetes and ADD/ADHD later on in life.

Professor Berthold Koletxco, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Munich, stated, “We reviewed a wealth of evidence on the benefits of DHA omega 3 and hope our findings will offer guidance for healthcare professionals on the optimum DHA omega 3 intake during pregnancy and nursing.”

In addition, professor Koletzco also shared, “We also hope that new and expectant mothers will be able to use this specific information to ensure that they are getting enough DHA omega 3 to gain the nutritional benefits throughout their pregnancy and during nursing.”

EU recommends getting the majority of your omega 3 fish oil from sources like salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and tuna as they have the richest sources of omega 3 fatty acids. It is also important to note that there are no negative side effects to consuming more than the recommended amount of 3 fish oil is 200 mgs/day of omega 3 DHA.

If you are concerned about fish toxicity researchers have found that as long as you stay away from the large predator fish such as shark and swordfish, two or three servings a week of one of the above fatty fish is perfectly safe during pregnancy. In fact, a recent study conducted at Harvard University School of Public Health revealed that any harmful effects of toxicity are far outweighed by the benefits of fish oil as much as 500 to one. In other words, toxicity is not a threat.

Therefore, if you are pregnant, nursing or just thinking about it and want your baby to be smart, and healthy there is no time like the present to start eating more fatty fish and taking omega 3 fish oil supplements ASAP. Your baby will thank you.

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