Pregnancy: eating salmon 2 times a week improves mom and baby's health

To ensure the right amount of Omega 3 during gestation, it is sufficient to add 2 servings of salmon per week to one's diet. This is shown by a study conducted at the School of Medicine of the University of Southampton (UK) by a group of researchers involved in the European project"Salmon in Pregnancy Study," inherent in salmon consumption during pregnancy. The results of the research were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega-3 in pregnancy: the benefits of taking it

Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant nutrients in fatty marine fish. Taking them during pregnancy provides several benefits:

• reduce the risk of dangerous complications for mother and baby;
• They facilitate oxygen and nutrient exchanges;
• enable the proper development of the fetus;
• reduce the incidence of some diseases after birth, such as asthma.

A new approach to increasing Omega-3

The increase in consumption of salmon during pregnancy was examined by scholars to see if it could increase the levels of Omega-3 present in pregnant women and their children. Therefore, 123 pregnant women characterized by low consumption of fatty fish were recruited. The participants were divided into 2 groups and instructed to continue with their usual diet or to add 2 servings of salmon to their weekly menu. Fish intake began at 20 weeks' gestation and continued until delivery.

The results obtained

Data analysis revealed that the participants who were supposed to introduce salmon into their diets consumed an average of 1.94 servings per week. In total, these women consumed 2.11 servings of fish per week, compared with an average of 0.47 servings eaten by the other participants. This higher fish consumption was associated with ahigher intake of the 2 Omega-3s in which fish is rich:EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). During pregnancy it has been ascertained that:

- maternal EPA and DHA levels decreased in the control group;

- increased in women who had added salmon to their diet.

Similarly, EPA and DHA were more abundant in the umbilical cord of these women's children.

More Omega-3s for moms who don't eat fish

Study results show that pregnant women who do not regularly eat fatty fish can increase their Omega-3 intake by introducing 2 servings of salmon per week into their diet. In this way, the researchers explain, expectant mothers can ensure that their bodies and their child receive the minimum levels of EPA and DHA recommended by experts.