Fish is good for pregnancy

Eating fish can improve a woman's chances of having a full-term pregnancy and a healthy baby as reported recently by researchers. They suspect that fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, can increase the child's birth weight by prolonging the pregnancy and preventing premature births. The research involved all pregnant women receiving routine antenatal care in Aarhus, Denmark. The researchers compared the diets of 8729 Danish women during pregnancy to determine if seafood had an impact on early births. They were asked how often they ate fish during their pregnancy and whether it was in a hot meal, salad or if they took a fish oil supplement. They found that women who ate the most fish had fewer premature births and smaller babies than those who did not. As Low consumption of fish was a strong risk factor for pre-term delivery and low birth weight. Pre-term deliveries fell from 7.1 percent in women who never ate fish to 1.9 percent in expectant mothers who ate fish at least once a week. Oily fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have also been found to be effective in fighting depression and in inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer cells. These findings agreed with previous studies, which found a link between fish consumption and full-term pregnancies. Thus low consumption of seafood was a strong risk factor for premature delivery and low birth weight.

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