Give your children an edge at school - Start feeding them Omega-3’s in the womb!
3 April 2009
Written by Dr. David Bowman
As a physician for many years working one on one with pregnant women, I was amazed at the number who had never heard about Omega 3’s for their baby’s brain development. Furthermore I was amazed at the number of pregnant women eating a huge amount of fish without recognizing the risks of possible mercury poisoning for their unborn child.
First let me explain, as a physician I know that Omega-3s are essential to not only the pregnant mother but also the fetus developing in the womb and here’s why. The intake of omega-3s during the final trimester of pregnancy boosts the cognitive and sensory development of the infant. There was a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics that found that exposure to omega-3 fatty acids in the last months of pregnancy can be linked to visual acuity, cognitive and motor development in infants between 6 and 11 months. Furthermore, the research supervisor, Dr. Gina Muckle stated, “These results highlight the crucial importance of prenatal exposure to omega-3s in a child’s development. A diet rich in omega-3s during pregnancy can’t be expected to solve everything, but our results show that such a diet has positive effects on a child’s sensory, cognitive, and motor development.”
As there has been much research done on the developing brain and Omega 3’s, there is still a concern that the pregnant mother should be aware of the mercury contained in fish. I am aware of the small amounts of mercury in fish but as I researched this problem, I found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising woman who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish but to eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. There was another interesting article I found in The American Journal Epidemiol, 2008, where women who ate more than two servings of fatty fish per week had children who, at age three, performed better on cognitive and motor skills tests. However, in women who had higher mercury levels in pregnancy, their children had lower test scores. The problem is that women who had high mercury levels also consumed more fish. This dilemma is what prevents many women from getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet while pregnant.
The FDA and EPA had some recommendations on eating fish as a whole:
- Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
- Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (”white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.
If you are concerned about the fish you eat and what the level of mercury is in the fish you currently eat, the FDA has created a list of mercury for you at. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html
Now let me add my professional opinion in regards to Omega 3’s supplementation and the benefits of taking the JD Premium K48-Plus over the recommendations of just eating fish. There are many people, including my wife when she was pregnant, who don’t like the smell of fish because of their sensitivity to smell, let alone the taste. Some pregnant women just don’t tolerate the smell very well. Therefore they won’t consider eating fish let alone cooking the fish for their family. Then when I read the FDA’s recommendations of eating the “fish low in mercury”, I still believe many women may want the convenience and SAFETY of taking the Omega 3 supplements instead. While fish with lower levels of mercury are recommended, the fact that supplementing with Omega 3’s is such an easier and a safer way of getting the “healthy” omega 3’s into the pregnant mother’s and the baby’s brain.
K48-Plus contains both DHA and EPA. In this type of product, the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA are already naturally attached to phospholipids! That means there are no triglycerides to break down, so DHA and EPA can enter your cells directly with no additional work involved. Both the mother and the baby will receive it without delay and without the harmful toxin of mercury that can come through the digestive system into the bloodstream of both the mother and the baby. The other great value of this product for both mother and baby is that it is a powerful antioxidant which fights free radical damage. This powerful antioxidant from the Omega 3 called astaxanthin (az-ta-zan-thin) is up to 550 times more potent than vitamin E and 11 times more powerful than beta-carotene. It is one of the few nutrients that can cross the blood-brain barrier to deliver optimum nutrients to every cell in your body. Can you imagine the power of this nutrient to the baby’s brain! Your health is worth it and so are your babies.
I often have mothers ask me if it is safe to take K48-Plus while they are pregnant. The answer is that it is not only safe but necessary. K48-Plus is by far superior to fish oil. To get the Omega 3s your body needs from fish oil you would have to take about 17 a day. Pregnant moms generally have a sensitive stomach; can you imagine trying to get a pregnant mom to take 17 big fish oil capsules every day? The best choice is 2 small K 48-Plus capsules each day with no stomach upset.
Spread the word—too many omega 6s kill but omegas 3s bring life.
