The latest study published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. bursts the earlier myth that taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy can churn out smarter babies. Numerous small studies conducted earlier had shown that higher concentrations of DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, an omega 3 fatty acid present in fish oil in the mother’s blood increased the likelihood of babies with better attention span, sharper vision and earlier mastery of many skills. Despite the uncertainty of the results, commercial agents publicized the use of fish oil linking it to smarter kids.
In the latest study done by researchers in Flinders Medical
Center and the University
of Adelaide in Australia, over
2399 women halfway through their pregnancies were chosen. They were divided
into 2 groups. One group was given a daily supplement of fish oil while the
other group was given a placebo of vegetable oil. A questionnaire done at 18
months of age showed that the infants whose mothers received fish oil
supplements fared no better in cognitive or language tests than infants whose
mothers received vegetable oil. The mothers reported no difference in the post
partum depression either.
Scientists agree that DHA is necessary in the last half of the pregnancy for visual and cognitive development. They feel that it works best when it is naturally transmitted through the placenta. A full term baby seems to have its necessary quota of DHA at birth and any further supplements did not seem necessary. Earlier studies did show that premature babies received too little DHA before birth. These babies seem to profit from additional supply of DHA when compared to premature babies who did not receive any omega 3 supplements.
Since the fish oil supplements do not seem to harm the mother or the baby, the health care personnel would not stop prescribing it until further studies have proved otherwise.
