The researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and Bristol University in Bristol, England, said their study of 9,000 mothers and children in Avon suggested that those mothers who consumed less of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 gave birth to children with verbal IQs six points below average, and poorer motor skilss and hand-to-eye coordination. The study appears the Jan. 20 issue of The Economist.

Nutritionists say that Omega-3 is important to development of children's intelligence because the brain is 60 percent fat, half of which comes from essential fats. However, American dietary experts advise pregnant women to limit their consumption of seafood to avoid exposing their unborn babies to trace amounts of mercury, which could lead to brain damage, but researchers say the benefits of eating lots of oily fish outweigh the risks.

According to the study, those mothers with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and other sources of Omega-3 had children who exhibited the best fine-motor performance nearly four years after their births, researchers said.

Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, the lead researcher from the National Institutes of Health, said 14 percent of the 17-year-olds whose mothers had eaten small quantities of Omega-3 during pregnancy had trouble making friends and exhibited deficiencies in social skills, compared to eight percent of the children born to mothers with high intakes.

"The findings of poor social development and poor motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and poorly socialized behavior as they grow up," Hibbeln said in the study. "It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3 and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."

The study, which began 15 years ago, includes figures on 14,000 pregnant mothers and their children. The findings echo studies in the United States that show children born to mothers who ate oily fish regularly had better language and communication skills than other children.

Because the richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish that may contain more pollutants, such as mercury, some nutritionists recommend that women eat two servings of wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines a week. In addition, seeds, such as flax, pumpkin and hemp, are good sources of Omega-3 for vegetarians, but in large quantities, possibly two tablespoons daily.

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Source: Nubella News
Posted by: Steve Smith
Reference: The Economist
Website: www.nubella.com

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