Pregnant and consuming fish? Be careful! It may increase childhood obesity

Expectant mother’s nutrition during pregnancy can have lasting effects on their infant’s health, especially when it comes to obesity. Till now it was said that fish is a great source of protein, zinc, iron and promote baby’s brain development but now a study has stated that child obesity is more likely to be increased if mom eats three or more serving of fish a week.

Doctors warns pregnant women to eat fish not more than two to three servings a week. A large study has been conducted across several countries and researchers have concluded that the risk of childhood obesity was more pronounced when the magnitude of the effect of fish intake was greater in girls than boys. They have also stated that infants whose mothers consume fish more than three times a week grows faster in the first two years of life.

The study tracked 25,000 pregnant woman and their children, compared them to the women that rarely consumed fish during pregnancy. They observed that the offspring whose moms ate more than three servings of fish per week, were more often obese by the age of four, carrying excess weight by age six, but the same result was not found for child whose moms ate fish one to three times a week. The authors of the study, gave a statement to the reporters in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, said that their findings “are in line with” the EPA and FDA recommendations.

Leda Chatzi, a doctor at University of Crete stated that “Prior studies and advisories focus on potential neurocognitive harm from exposure to methyl-mercury but not impact on growth”. Further Chatzi stated,” On one hand, fish is a major dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are transferred across the placenta and have been found to reduce fat deposits by reducing production of fat cells”
She also said that generally, fish is an integral component of a healthy diet. Nevertheless, it’s a complex exposure.