'Pregnant Women Should Take Fish Oil Pills'

A study a day keeps the doctor away.... ________________________________________ Pregnant women should take fish oil supplements instead of eating lots of mackerel and salmon - to reduce the risk of premature birth, say scientists. The question of whether to consume plenty of oily fish that also include herring, trout and sardines has just got a whole lot harder for expectant mums. On the one hand they contains omega-3 fatty acids which can boost birth weight and are good for the development of the foetal brain. But on the other fish can also contain mercury which causes severe neurological damage to the foetus. And now it seems mercury poses yet another danger - premature birth. Dr Fei Xue, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and her colleagues tested a group of 1,024 pregnant women in Michigan and found an average mercury level of 0.29 parts per million in their hair. Those who ate more fish tended to carry more mercury with canned fish associated with the highest mercury levels, reports New Scientist. Women who gave birth more than two weeks early were three times as likely to have mercury concentrations of at least 0.55 ppm than those who carried their babies to term, according to the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. But since only 44 of the women gave birth prematurely Dr Xue says further research is needed to firm up the statistical significance. She said: "The messages are really very conflicting because fish is both a benefit and a potential source of hazard." Until the risks become clearer she recommends taking fish oil supplements instead. Every year over 13 million babies are born prematurely across the world - many in developing countries. The majority die shortly after birth and the survivors are at significant risk of childhood disabilities such as cerebral palsy, blindness and deafness and intellectual impairment. But many factors other than diet also contribute to premature birth. One of the most likely causes of premature labour is believed to be a "silent" infection in the uterus which can lead to early contraction and early breaking of the waters. Fishy diets are unlikely to be able to counteract the effects of infection. Dr Xue said: "Pregnant women receive mixed messages about fish consumption in pregnancy because unsaturated fatty acids and protein in fish are thought to be beneficial - but contaminants such as methylmercury may pose a hazard. "This is the first large, community-based study to examine risk of very preterm birth in relation to mercury levels among women with low to moderate exposure. "Additional studies are needed to see if these findings will be replicated in other settings." Source: LifeStyleExtra pregnancy fish oil pills pregnancy weekly pregnant health