A study conducted involved 11,580 women who found the more fish they consumed at the 32-week mark in their pregnancy the lower the likelihood of restricted growth in the baby. One researcher stated these findings supported the data that increasing the intake of fish or omega-3 fatty acids while a woman was pregnant increased the fetal growth rate.
The women in the study were questioned on the amount of fish they ate and the levels of omega-3 fatty acids were then measured by the fish intake the pregnant women consumed.
Results from the study showed that women ate 33 grams of fish on average, which was equal to around one-third of a tiny can of tuna each day and to 0.15 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Some experts have recommended fish as a rich source for omega-3 fatty acids, which are considered essential for cell function.
Some of the other sources of omega-three fatty acids include canola oil, flaxseed and flaxseed oil and nuts.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health June 2004;58(6):486-92
You will find that the study in the above article actually recommends eating fish to get the omega-3. This is something I strongly advise against, as mercury in fish can severely harm the developing fetus--even public health officials have warned women of the dangers of eating fish during pregnancy.
Instead, you should take krill oil, which is purified and does not pose the risk of introducing toxins to your baby that eating fish does, yet will give you all of the beneficial effects of omega-3.
Aside from krill oil being the safest way of fulfilling your omega-3 fatty acid requirements, there are a number of other reasons why you will want to be very aggressive about taking it if you are pregnant:
A past study suggests that it will also prevent allergies due to its potent anti-inflammatory effects.
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