An overwhelming number of pregnant and lactating women in Alberta are not meeting the recommended intake of specific omega-3 fatty acids vital to their babies' development and to their own health, according to new ALES research.
In a study of 600 pregnant women in Edmonton and Calgary, only 27 per cent were meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids' recommended minimum of 200 mg per day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy. By three months postpartum, that had dropped to 25 per cent.
DHA is the major omega-3 fatty acid required during pregnancy for fetal and placental development, and is critical for infant brain development and other growth in every cell of the body.
After a baby's birth, DHA, along with two other fatty acids (known collectively as omega-3 LCPUFA) also helps babies' health, particularly their neuro-cognitive development.
"DHA is also important to a mother's health," said Catherine Field, lead researcher on the study and a professor of nutrition in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science. "Low levels in the body have been associated with depression."
The recommended intake of DHA during pregnancy could be met by consuming one to two portions per week of fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Health Canada cites the best sources as salmon, tuna, herring and trout, and provides information on safe sources on its website.
Taking supplements also significantly improved the likelihood pregnant women would meet the recommended amounts, according to the study, which uses the large Alberta based maternal-infant birth cohort called Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON).
"Women who took a supplement containing DHA were 10.6 and 11.1 times more likely to meet the current EU consensus for pregnancy and postpartum respectively," said the study, However, 44 per cent of women in the study who reported taking a supplement during pregnancy were no longer doing so at three months postpartum, which led researchers to suggest that nutritional counselling about the benefits of a supplement should extend beyond pregnancy.
The study was published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.
Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition is a project studying more than 2,000 women and their infants funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions. Its overall goal is to understand the relationship between maternal nutrient status during pregnancy and maternal mental health, child health and development. It includes researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary.
In a study of 600 pregnant women in Edmonton and Calgary, only 27 per cent were meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids' recommended minimum of 200 mg per day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy. By three months postpartum, that had dropped to 25 per cent.
DHA is the major omega-3 fatty acid required during pregnancy for fetal and placental development, and is critical for infant brain development and other growth in every cell of the body.
After a baby's birth, DHA, along with two other fatty acids (known collectively as omega-3 LCPUFA) also helps babies' health, particularly their neuro-cognitive development.
"DHA is also important to a mother's health," said Catherine Field, lead researcher on the study and a professor of nutrition in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science. "Low levels in the body have been associated with depression."
The recommended intake of DHA during pregnancy could be met by consuming one to two portions per week of fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Health Canada cites the best sources as salmon, tuna, herring and trout, and provides information on safe sources on its website.
Taking supplements also significantly improved the likelihood pregnant women would meet the recommended amounts, according to the study, which uses the large Alberta based maternal-infant birth cohort called Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON).
"Women who took a supplement containing DHA were 10.6 and 11.1 times more likely to meet the current EU consensus for pregnancy and postpartum respectively," said the study, However, 44 per cent of women in the study who reported taking a supplement during pregnancy were no longer doing so at three months postpartum, which led researchers to suggest that nutritional counselling about the benefits of a supplement should extend beyond pregnancy.
The study was published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.
Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition is a project studying more than 2,000 women and their infants funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions. Its overall goal is to understand the relationship between maternal nutrient status during pregnancy and maternal mental health, child health and development. It includes researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary.