MOTHERS who are expecting or breastfeeding require more essential fatty acids (EFA) and energy. The World Health Organisation recommends that dietary EFA should be raised to 4.5 per cent of energy (± 10g) during pregnancy and to 7.5 per cent of energy (± 17g) during lactation. Mothers would probably have to make significant changes to their daily diet to achieve these higher levels of EFA.
Fish can be an important part of a balanced diet for pregnant women. It is a good source of high quality protein and other nutrients and low in fat. However, pregnant women and women considering pregnancy should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish because they contain excess mercury if eaten frequently.
Mercury consumed by a pregnant woman through contaminated fish can cross her placenta to damage the brain of her baby. Exposure to mercury in the womb can cause learning deficits, delay the mental development of children and other neurological problems. However, experts say eating the right type of fish is the key.
Smaller fish such as sardines and anchovies with a shorter life span are specially recommended for consumption because they naturally contain oils that are lower in environmental toxins (e.g. heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic, pesticides, dioxin and PCBs) than larger predatory fish such as tuna and cod.
Is it safe to take omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy?
Adding a new wrinkle to the long- running debate over the safety of fish consumption by pregnant women, British researchers are reporting that eating oily fish appears to boost the weight of newborn babies. There have been a few studies to show that fish oil concentrates improve a baby's brain development.
There are two types of fish oil supplements: those made from the liver of the fish and those made from the body of the fish. Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy.
On the other hand, fish oils derived from the body of the fish contain lots of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is essential for your baby's normal brain, eye and vision development, especially during the last trimester. This may be one reason why premature babies are particularly at risk of eye and brain damage.
DHA must be supplied through mother's milk or infant formula as the infant is unable to synthesise it from other dietary sources such as flaxseed oil. It is assumed that a mother's daily diet affects the composition of her breast milk.
Fish oil concentrate benefits the mother and baby. Studies have found that babies whose mothers were given fish oil supplements during pregnancy had reduced infant immune responses to allergens such as cat and house dust mite. It was also noted that these babies were three times less likely to develop allergies to food such as eggs, and have less severe infantile eczema in the first year of life.
It is not clear why breast-fed infants may log higher IQs as adults, but the researchers speculated that breast milk contains beneficial nutrients not found in formula or cow's milk. Breast milk contains DHA and arachidonic acid (AA), the long- chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that appear to support brain development of the child.
It is important to remember that foetal development, as well as newborn infant development, depends on the maternal supply of DHA. If a mother's supply of DHA is low, the foetus will take most of that supply, leaving the mother depleted of DHA. This may lead to the mother developing postpartum depression.
Good nutrition during pregnancy will help to keep a developing baby and its mother healthy. Aim to eat oily fish at least two or three times per week. If you're not a big fish eater, choose a fish oil concentrate that is in the form of triglyceride for superior bioavailability. This would ensure you and your baby get the most out of the supplement.
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