Omega-3
vetzuren voor zwangere vrouwen*
Uit een Canadese studie blijkt dat omega-3 vetzuren tijdens de zwangerschap, zeker de laatste 3 maanden, belangrijk zijn voor een goede ontwikkeling van de foetus en de baby later. Van 109 baby’s werd bij de geboorte de hoeveelheid
DHA in het bloed van de navelstreng vastgesteld. Alle baby’s werden na zes en 11 maanden getest en duidelijk werd dat er een duidelijke relatie was tussen de gemeten hoeveelheid DHA en de ontwikkelingen van de baby op zowel op motorisch-, cognitief- en gezichtsvermogen. Hoe hoger het DNA in de navelstreng hoe hoger de verschillende vermogens.
Pregnant Women Need Omega 3 To Boost Infant Development
A new study funded by Health Canada and other organizations has proven a direct correlation between dietary consumption of the omega-3 DHA and enhanced infant development. The study, which was supervised by Universite Laval researchers and published in the Journal of Pediatrics, reveals DHA consumed during the last months of pregnancy boosts an infant's sensory, cognitive, and motor
development.
The research team reached its conclusion by first measuring the amount of DHA concentration in the umbilical cord blood of 109 infants.
"DHA concentration in the umbilical cord is a good indicator of intra-uterine exposure to omega-3s during the last trimester of pregnancy, a crucial period for the development of retinal photoreceptors and neurons," said study supervisor Dr. Eric Dewailly.
After testing the infants at six and 11 months, the researchers discovered visual acuity, cognitive development, and motor development were closely linked to DHA concentration in the umbilical cord blood at the time of their birth.
Renowned DHA expert Barbara S. Levine, R.D., Ph.D., director of the first NIH-funded Nutrition Information Center at Weill Cornell Medical College, believes the study's findings support the overall significance of an expectant mother's diet.
"For years researchers and nutritional experts have studied the importance of DHA in a pregnant woman's diet and the resulting impact these essential nutrients have on the development of her fetus," said Dr. Levine. "In addition to folic acid, which helps prevent the development of spinal bifida and other birth defects, it is necessary for expectant mother's to include DHA in their diets for brain and eye development."
Dr. Levine is a scientific advisory board member of http://www.dhaandbvitamins.org, an educational Web site developed by specialists at Weill Cornell Medical College and other major academic medical centers.
(Juni
2008)
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