Eating Too Much Fish While Pregnant Raises Child Obesity Risk

A study declared on Monday that women, consuming surplus fish meal over the recommended three portions every week, run the risk of giving birth to babies with higher obesity risk compared to expecting mothers consuming lesser fish portions.

The Journal of American Medical Association or JAMA Pediatrics reports that there is a link between higher fish intake and the possibility of speedy growth including obesity in babies. Researchers also cautioned that the cause and effect are not yet proved.

Pregnant mothers are very much concerned about the quantity of fish to be consumed as it is helpful for the development of the brain of the fetus, but also have harmful pollutants like mercury.

Researchers have expressed the need of further work in this respect, which would be only approximate to imagine that fish-related pollutant experience may exhibit a role in the experimental groups.

Leda Chatzi, a doctor at University of Crete analyzed data of more than 26,000 pregnant women and their wards in European and US modules.

The study was based on comments offered by pregnant women about the quantity of fish they consumed every week and of their issues up to 6 years to understand the linkage between mothers’ fish intake and childhood development.

The quantity of fish consumed per week by women varied from the average 0.5 times in Belgium and 4.5 times in Spain. The study explained that the high intake means consuming of fish over three times per week. Weekly three servings of fish to pregnant women is also the recommendation of the US Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The study concluded that pregnant women who consumed more than three servings of fish in a week gave birth to children with elevated BMI values at two, for and six years of age comparative to pregnant women who consumed less fish.

It further added that additional fish intake during pregnancy was linked with higher risk of faster development from birth to two years concerning increased risk of obesity for children at four years and six years compared to fish intake of once  every week or less by pregnant women .

The result of extra fish intake was seen to be more on girls than boys. The study did not mention the kind of fish consumed and the level of pollutants such as methyl mercury.