When Mom eats fish during pregnancy, junior may get a developmental boost. Maternal fish intake averaging about 59 g, a day (2 oz.) was associated with significantly higher development scores for the infant at 18 months compared with scores of children whose mothers consumed an average of only 5.4 g, a day, Emily Oken, M.D., of Harvard, and colleagues reported in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers also found that, consistent with previous studies, longer duration of breast-feeding correlated with better developmental scores. Fish consumption did not have an additive effect to the benefits of breast-feeding.