Fish and Infant Development

A recent study led by a group of researchers from Harvard medical/health schools found evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids that are in fish and are also present in breast milk are very beneficial to infants in their developing stages.

The research team observed approximately 25,500 infants that were born to mothers who were in another study. This study involved interviewing the mothers about their child's diet (including the types of fish that the child was fed) and their breastfeeding habits during their child's developing stages (half a year to a year and a half postpartum).

During this procedure, the mothers were asked specific questions relating to the child's development such as if the people responded to voices or sounds, if the child could sit up straight with it's back unsupported, and if the child could crawl or imitate sounds. When the children reached their 18 month stage, the mothers were asked if the child could perform more advance duties, such as climbing the stairs, removing his/her socks, speak clearer words, or they could walk without any aid of their parents.

It was noted that the mothers who consumed the most fish during their pregnancy were more like to have children that had better motor skills and cognitive skills than the others. Approximately 6% of the children (aged 18 months) whose mothers ate the least amount of fish ended up having the lowest developmental scores. This is compared to about 4% of the children whose mothers ate the highest amount of fish. When compared to women who had the least amount of fish, the women who had a higher intake ended up having children with a less than 30% had a greater chance to have higher scores at 6 months old and had over a 30% chance to have higher scores aged at 18 months.

It is strongly advised for women in the US to limit their intake of fish to only two servings during the week. This is due to the fact that fish contains high level of mercury and can create toxic effects. The fish consumed during this observation had a low level of mercury content.

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