Eating recommended amounts of oily fish and seafood during pregnancy could boost the brain of your kids, says a new study.
Jean Golding and researchers of Bristol University and the US National Institute of Health questioned 11,875 women on their fish and seafood consumption during pregnancy.
Children, whose mothers ate lots of fish while pregnant, had better communication and social skills at the age of seven, reported the online edition of BBC News.
The researchers looked at social and communication skills, hand-eye coordination and the total IQ in the children up to the age of eight years. Socio-economic factors were also taken into account.
Eating less than 12oz (340gm) of fish and seafood a week was associated with a 48 per cent increased risk of children being in the lowest group for verbal intelligence, researchers said.
Low fish and seafood intake during pregnancy was also associated with increased risk of poorer behaviour, motor, communication and social development scores, said the study published in British medical journal The Lancet.
The oily fish — a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids — that women should eat include salmon, mackerel, pilchards and sardines.
{{/usCountry}}The oily fish — a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids — that women should eat include salmon, mackerel, pilchards and sardines.
{{/usCountry}}But the Food Standards Agency, which advises that pregnant women should eat one or two portions of oily fish a week, warns against eating certain types of fish likes shark, marlin or lots of tuna because of the risks to the developing foetus associated with mercury.