Eating for two takes on a whole new meaning following a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics. With all the emphasis on making sure infants get sufficient omega-3 fatty acids in from mother’s milk or in formula, it’s easy to forget how important these essential fats are for a child developing in the womb.

But researchers at Université Laval, Canada, discovered fetuses with higher omega-3 levels during the final months of pregnancy do better on cognitive, sensory and motor development when in infancy.

The scientists measured the levels of an omega-3 fat called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the umbilical cords of 109 infants to determine how much DHA they had received during the last trimester of pregnancy. Among all the omega 3 fatty acids, DHA is especially crucial for developing eyes and neurons, and fetuses and infants will even naturally convert other omega-3s into DHA if necessary.

When the researchers tested the same kids at 6 months and 11 months they found that vision, cognitive, and motor skills were more developed in the infants who’d been exposed to more DHA in the womb. This factor was even more important than the amount of DHA they later ingested from mother’s milk or formula after being born. Of course, a fetus can only get as much DHA as its mother has in her own system, so the maternal diet is crucial to a child’s health. 

Based on study findings, this team of researchers recommend pregnant women consume a diet rich in omega-3s to benefit the outcome of their children’s development. That diet could include omega-3 rich fish such as trout, wild salmon and sardines, or a nutritional supplement such as Animi-3, an omega-3 fatty acids and B-vitamin supplement.

***

Barbara S. Levine, R.D., Ph.D., has been a researcher, consultant, and teacher of nutrition at some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country. Dr. Levine is a DHA & B Vitamin Center scientific advisory board member and director of the first NIH-funded Nutrition Information Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Weill-Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Strang Cancer Prevention Center.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 4:55 pm and is filed under DHA, Omega-3s and B Vitamins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.