A study at University of Adelaide in Australia, suggests that women who take fish oil capsules during pregnancy are not more likely to avoid postpartum depression nor boost the mental development of their babies.
A key fish oil ingredient, docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is beneficial to a baby’s cognitive development. DHA is a common ingredient in prenatal vitamins and baby formula and taken as a supplement by pregnant women. The supplement failed to prevent postpartum depression or to enhance babies’ cognitive development or language acquisition, a large study has shown.
Many pregnant women have turned to take fish oils capsules to meet recommendations for daily intake of 200 mg/d DHA, a critical nutrient for neurodevelopment for which fish is the main dietary source.
Over a five-year study wherein women were half the women in the latter stages of pregnancy were given fish oil capsules and the other half vegetable oil capsules, the team discovered no significant difference in either the incidence of post-natal depression or neuro developmental outcomes of their children.
The study also confirmed, the children born to women taking DHA showed no significant improvements in cognitive development at 18 months compared with those born to women not taking the supplements.
Some previous research have indicated that DHA can aid in a baby’s brain development if taken during pregnancy. But many of those studies were small or observed women already taking fish oil, who might be more health-conscious.
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