Eat more sea food

 

Eat more sea food

 

The more fish you eat, the smarter you may be according to 3 new studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers believe that the powerful omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and seafood may have a strong effect on cognitive function.

 

A study from Norway found that elderly people who eat more than 10 grams of fish per day have significantly better cognitive performance than those who eat less than 10 grams per day. In this study, people who ate about 75 grams of fish per day had the best test scores.

 

A study from The Netherlands found that older people (between the ages of 50 and 70) who had higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids experienced less decline in several cognitive measures.

 

A study from New Zealand found a link between omega-3 fatty acid consumption and better mental health. The study also found a strong link between higher blood concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid  and good physical health.

 

These studies provide just the latest evidence of the many benefits — both mental and physical — of eating fish and omega-3 fats. It’s pretty obvious that if you want to “stay sharp” as you age — while enjoying better overall health — you should consider eating fish and/or taking a good omega-3 dietary supplement on a regular basis.

 

The children of women who eat more seafood while pregnant turn out to be smarter and have better developmental skills than kids whose mothers eat less (or no) seafood,  the findings show that women who limit their intake of fish and other seafood during pregnancy may actually be doing more harm than good to their developing babies.

 

“When you look at the net benefits of the nutrients in seafood and the net risks in seafood, it appears that the advisory inadvertently causes the harm that it was intended to prevent.”

Seafood = “Brain” Food

 

We know that omega-3 fatty acids (one of the “good” fats) and other trace nutrients found in seafood are vital to the healthy development of a baby’s brain. This study shows just how important it is for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of these nutrients in order to have the healthiest babies possible.

It’s a shame that, due to an increasingly polluted environment, we have to worry about eating such an important (and delicious) food. Still, no matter what, if you’re pregnant you must find a way to get the vital fats and trace nutrients from seafood into your diet, either through whole foods or dietary supplements.

 

Also, you can minimize your consumption of toxins by completely avoiding the following foods:

• Shark
• Swordfish
• King mackerel
• Tilefish

Also, limit consumption of albacore tuna to 6 ounces or less per week (due to higher mercury content).

 

Maternal seafood consumption benefits children’s development

Higher maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy results in children showing better neurological function than children whose mothers eat low amounts or no seafood during pregnancy, according to an article published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

 

Seafood is the predominant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for optimum fetal brain development. However, in the USA, women are advised to limit their seafood intake during pregnancy to 340 g per week, to avoid fetal exposure to trace contaminants of neurotoxins.

 

Maternal seafood intake during pregnancy of less than 340 g (ie, less than three portions) per week was to found to be associated with increased risk of their children being in the lowest quartile of verbal IQ, compared with mothers who consumed more than 340 g per week. Furthermore, low maternal seafood intake was associated with increased risk of suboptimum outcomes for prosocial behaviour, fine motor, communication, and social development scores. For each outcome measure, the lower the intake of seafood during pregnancy, the higher the risk of suboptimum developmental outcome.

The authors conclude: “We recorded no evidence to lend support to the warnings of the US advisory that pregnant women should limit their seafood consumption. In contrast, we noted that children of mothers who ate small amounts (<340 g per week) of seafood were more likely to have suboptimum neurodevelopmental outcomes than children of mothers who ate more seafood than the recommended amounts.”

 

Adverse outcomes associated with insufficient intakes of long chain omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy in other studies include: intrauterine growth retardation, delayed or suboptimum depth perception, adverse neurodevelopmental measures, residual deficits in fine motor skills, speed of information processing in infants, and irreversible deficits in serotonin and dopamine release.