Mommy takes DHA during pregnancy; Baby solves problems better
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It seems that taking DHA supplements during pregnancy has some beneficial effects to the baby. Researchers at the University of Connecticut and the Louisiana State University studied the effect of DHA on babies when mothers take DHA from week 24 till delivery.
Twenty-nine moms ate on the average, 5 cereal bars per week. 14 moms got bars with DHA and 15 moms got bars without DHA. Nine months after delivery, the babies were tested for problem-solving skills and intelligence.
Findings of the study show that babies of the DHA-eating moms have better problem-solving skills than babies of moms who didn’t take any DHA. However, there was no difference in the intelligence test results.
DHA - short for docosahexaenoic acid ? is an omega-3 fatty acid and is the most abundant fatty acid in the brain and the eyes. Low levels of this substance in the brain has been linked to Alzheimer`s disease and other neurological disorders. A good source of DHA is fish oil but it is also present in many functional foods.
Source:
Judge et al. Maternal consumption of a docosahexaenoic acid?containing functional food during pregnancy: benefit for infant performance on problem-solving but not on recognition memory tasks at age 9 months. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 6, 1572-1577, June 2007.
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