Findings of a new study have revealed that one of many benefits of fish consumption is that it prevents brain from mercury damage in children during prenatal development. The research conducted in the Seychelles has yielded results that corroborate with previous findings that nutrients found in fish help in protecting brain from the potential toxic effects of the chemical.
Findings of the study have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study showed that pregnant mothers who consumed an average of 12 fish meals per week did not produce developmental problems in their children. Moreover, the mothers also protected the damage to the brain in their children caused by mercury.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are the compounds present in fish that help in protecting brain damage caused by mercury in babies going through the stages of prenatal development.
These findings show no overall association between prenatal exposure to mercury through fish consumption and neurodevelopmental outcomes. It is also becoming increasingly clear that the benefits of fish consumption may outweigh, or even mask, any potentially adverse effects of mercury”, said Edwin van Wijngaarden, Ph.D., and associate professor in the University of Rochester Department of Public Health Sciences and a co-author of the study.
The study has helped in understanding that child’s future neurological development may significantly depend on the type of fatty acids a mother consumes during pregnancy. The role of polyunsaturated fatty acids on development and their potential to augment or counteract the toxic properties of mercury was particularly studied by the researchers during the study.
The new study has come at the time when US Food and Drug Administration and internal agencies are looking into fish consumption advisories to help people better understand the health benefits of nutrients found in fish.