Eating Fish During Pregnancy Makes Babies Smarter: Study

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Pregnant moms who eat fish every week are helping their baby develop smarter brains. A study conducted in Barcelona revealed the positive effects of a fish diet during pregnancy.

Reuters reports that the study was done among 2,000 mothers who were tracked in the first trimester until their babies reached five-years old. The researchers discovered that, among mothers who had more fish in their diet during the pregnancy, their children proved to have better brain function compared to moms who ate fewer fish. The researchers also saw that, even as the pregnant moms ate about 600 grams (21 ounces) of fish weekly, they were not in any risk of mercury poisoning and other similar threats.

"Seafood is known to be an important source of essential nutrients for brain development, but at the same time accumulates mercury from the environment, which is known to be neurotoxic," lead study author Jordi Julvez of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology stated in his email to the press.

Keeping a fish diet is a usual concern for mothers because of fears of poisoning. In the United States, the standard recommendation for fish in a pregnant woman's diet is up to 12 ounces (340 grams) per week, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recommendation is a bit higher in Europe as pregnant moms can have at least 150 to 600 grams (6 to 21 ounces) of fish per week, per the European Food Safety Authority.

"I think that in general people should follow the current recommendations," Julvez further stated, per Metro US. "Nevertheless this study pointed out that maybe some of them, particularly the American ones, should be less stringent."

Meanwhile, a separate study conducted in Japan also emphasized on the importance of a fish diet for pregnant women. The food is rich in omega-6 and omega-3 components that are essential to brain development. Conducting their study on lab rats, the researchers saw that offsprings whose mothers were not given a fish diet developed smaller brains and were prone to anxiety. The lack of omega-rich nutrients  also affected their mental state, per Medical News Today.

The National Resources Defense Council keeps a list of fish varieties that can be safely eaten by pregnant women. At best, tuna and marlin have some of the highest mercury content so pregnant women must avoid eating these. However, they can enjoy other fishes and seafoods like catfish, tilapia, sardines, salmon, clam and crab.