DHA during pregnancy is one of the most important supplements a woman can ever have.
It helps to prevent anxiety, mood swings and depression in a pregnant woman and gives her baby's developing brain the best chance of proper development.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and to a lesser extent, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are the essential fatty acids in fish oil whose health benefits have been been shown in literally thousands of published scientific studies.
DHA makes up about a third of the brain's weight -- you can see why the baby developing in its mother's womb needs an abundant supply.
It's also true that an overall healthy diet is important.
A recent study showed that women who ate a diet including plenty of fruit, vegetables, healthy oils, fish and whole grains were less likely to give birth to a child with spina bifida, a serious condition in which the spinal cord does not fully close.
A good overall supplement containing folic acid, Vitamin B12 and the other B vitamins is also a good idea, not just for preventing spina bifida, but for the overall health of the mother and baby.
Fatty fish like mackerel, anchovies, tuna, hoki and salmon are good sources of omega 3's in the diet.
One problem with modern diets is that these are not regular food favorites for nearly all of us.
Another is pollution: heavy metals like mercury and man-made toxins like PCBs tend to concentrate in the fat of many of these fish, especially if the fish are caught in polluted parts of the ocean.
Two specific issues to consider: almost all fresh salmon sold in supermarkets is farm-raised, and levels of these toxins in farm-raised salmon have consistently been much higher than those caught in the wild.
Also, canned salmon and tuna both lose much of their DHA and EPA content -- destroyed by the high heat used in processing.
That's why I believe DHA in pregnancy is best provided by a pure, concentrated fish oil.
Most of the omega 3 oils sold on the supermarket and pharmacy shelves is neither concentrated nor highly purified.
If an omega 3 oil is not molecularly distilled, it just isn't pure enough, especially for a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
It helps to prevent anxiety, mood swings and depression in a pregnant woman and gives her baby's developing brain the best chance of proper development.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and to a lesser extent, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are the essential fatty acids in fish oil whose health benefits have been been shown in literally thousands of published scientific studies.
DHA makes up about a third of the brain's weight -- you can see why the baby developing in its mother's womb needs an abundant supply.
It's also true that an overall healthy diet is important.
A recent study showed that women who ate a diet including plenty of fruit, vegetables, healthy oils, fish and whole grains were less likely to give birth to a child with spina bifida, a serious condition in which the spinal cord does not fully close.
A good overall supplement containing folic acid, Vitamin B12 and the other B vitamins is also a good idea, not just for preventing spina bifida, but for the overall health of the mother and baby.
Fatty fish like mackerel, anchovies, tuna, hoki and salmon are good sources of omega 3's in the diet.
One problem with modern diets is that these are not regular food favorites for nearly all of us.
Another is pollution: heavy metals like mercury and man-made toxins like PCBs tend to concentrate in the fat of many of these fish, especially if the fish are caught in polluted parts of the ocean.
Two specific issues to consider: almost all fresh salmon sold in supermarkets is farm-raised, and levels of these toxins in farm-raised salmon have consistently been much higher than those caught in the wild.
Also, canned salmon and tuna both lose much of their DHA and EPA content -- destroyed by the high heat used in processing.
That's why I believe DHA in pregnancy is best provided by a pure, concentrated fish oil.
Most of the omega 3 oils sold on the supermarket and pharmacy shelves is neither concentrated nor highly purified.
If an omega 3 oil is not molecularly distilled, it just isn't pure enough, especially for a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
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