Omega 3 Fish Oil Is Essential For Your Baby's Health
Michael Byrd
August 23, 2007
Fish oil is good for your baby. To begin with, fish oil is brain food. My grandmother knew that long before scientists knew it and I'm sure glad now she made me take cod liver oil when I was a child.
Did you know that 70% of a baby’s brain is made up of the omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA? And, starting with the fetus in the womb, these vital omega 3 oils are responsible for the optimum development of the baby's brain and central nervous system? In fact, omega 3 fatty acids are responsible for a baby's speech, hearing and visual development, as well as their basic intelligence and emotional and mental health.
But that's not all. Omega 3 oils also help prevent children from getting several major childhood health problems, such as juvenile type 1 diabetes, asthma, ADD and ADHD.
Fish oil omega 3 fatty acids are so important for children that the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommend all pregnant and lactating women take at least one gram a day of combined DHA and EPA fatty acids. Denmark goes even further. In that country, every nursing mother is required by law to start taking fish oil supplements within seven days of childbirth.
However, according to recent surveys, 85% of American women are nutritionally deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and 20% are so deficient they have zero levels of DHA and EPA in their blood. The statistics for expectant mothers are even worse. As much as 98% of pregnant American women get less than 18% of the DHA and EPA they need for healthy pregnancies and healthy full term babies.
And if mama isn't getting the omega 3 fatty acids she needs, how in the world is her baby going to get what it needs for optimum health?
One last point. Don't let fear of toxicity keep you from getting the omega 3 fatty acids you and your child need. According to the latest research done by the Harvard University School of Public Health, as long as you avoid eating large predator fish such as shark and swordfish, the nutritional benefits of fish far surpass any threat of toxicity. One researcher stated that the benefits outnumber the threats by as much as 500 to one.
So if you're pregnant or nursing, make sure you eat fatty fish such as salmon and sardines at least two or three times a week or take high quality fish oil supplements. Better yet, do both.
Did you know that 70% of a baby’s brain is made up of the omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA? And, starting with the fetus in the womb, these vital omega 3 oils are responsible for the optimum development of the baby's brain and central nervous system? In fact, omega 3 fatty acids are responsible for a baby's speech, hearing and visual development, as well as their basic intelligence and emotional and mental health.
But that's not all. Omega 3 oils also help prevent children from getting several major childhood health problems, such as juvenile type 1 diabetes, asthma, ADD and ADHD.
Fish oil omega 3 fatty acids are so important for children that the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommend all pregnant and lactating women take at least one gram a day of combined DHA and EPA fatty acids. Denmark goes even further. In that country, every nursing mother is required by law to start taking fish oil supplements within seven days of childbirth.
However, according to recent surveys, 85% of American women are nutritionally deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and 20% are so deficient they have zero levels of DHA and EPA in their blood. The statistics for expectant mothers are even worse. As much as 98% of pregnant American women get less than 18% of the DHA and EPA they need for healthy pregnancies and healthy full term babies.
And if mama isn't getting the omega 3 fatty acids she needs, how in the world is her baby going to get what it needs for optimum health?
One last point. Don't let fear of toxicity keep you from getting the omega 3 fatty acids you and your child need. According to the latest research done by the Harvard University School of Public Health, as long as you avoid eating large predator fish such as shark and swordfish, the nutritional benefits of fish far surpass any threat of toxicity. One researcher stated that the benefits outnumber the threats by as much as 500 to one.
So if you're pregnant or nursing, make sure you eat fatty fish such as salmon and sardines at least two or three times a week or take high quality fish oil supplements. Better yet, do both.
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