Researchers show fish aids childbirth

Eating fish can improve a woman's chances of having a full-term pregnancy and a healthy, bouncy baby, Danish researchers say.

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 researchers compared the diets of 8000 Danish women during pregnancy to determine if seafood had an impact on early births.

"Low consumption of fish was a strong risk factor for pre-term delivery and low birthweight," said Sjurour Frooi Olsen, a researcher at the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen.

In the study, reported in the British Medical Journal, the women 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.

The researchers found that women who ate the most fish had fewer premature births and smaller babies than those who did not.

Pre-term deliveries fell from 7.1 per cent in women who never ate fish to 1.9 per cent in expectant mothers who ate fish at least once a week.

Olsen said his findings agreed with previous studies which found a link between fish consumption and full-term pregnancies.

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.

- REUTERS

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