Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'

"Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'", BBC News, January 20, 2006,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4631006.stm

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future
brain power and social skills, research suggests.

A study of 9,000 mothers and children suggested those who consumed less
of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.

These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye
co-ordination, research in the Economist said.

A team from the National Institutes of Health in the US analysed data
from a long-term study done in Avon, UK.

'Frightening data'

Looking at the effects of Omega-3 intake on 9,000 mothers and their
children, the team found mothers with the lowest intake of the
essential fatty acid had children with a verbal IQ six points lower
than the average.

While those with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and
other sources of Omega-3 had children, at age three-and-a-half, with
the best measures of fine-motor performance, researchers said.

Low intake of the crucial fatty acid also appeared to lead to higher
levels of social interactions - such as an inability to make friends.

Research leader Dr Joseph Hibbeln said "frightening data" showed 14% of
17-year-olds whose mother had eaten small quantities of Omega -3 during
pregnancy demonstrated this sort of behaviour.

This compared with 8% of those born to the group with the highest
intake, he said.

Dr Hibbeln said: "The findings of poor social development and poor
motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a
developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and
poorly-socialised behaviour as they grow up."

Professor Jean Golding of Bristol University set up the original
research - the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children -15
years ago to look at the predisposition to disease.

She told the BBC: "The baby's brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids. It
doesn't create its own fatty acids so it needs to be something that the
mother will eat."

The new research also builds on earlier work in the US which suggests
pregnant mothers will develop children with better language and
communication skills if they regularly consume oily fish.

Nutritional expert Patrick Holford, director of the Brain Bio Centre,
said Omega-3 was key to children's intelligence because the brain is
formed of 60% fat - 30% of which is essential fats.

Successive studies have shown clear links between intelligence and
consumption of this essential fatty acid, he added.

Seed option

"It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3
and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."

The richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish which eat other fish,
but research shows that the larger the fish the more pollutants, such
as mercury, they contain.

For this reason Mr Holford recommends women consume two portions of
wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines weekly.

The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women should consume only one
or two portions of oily fish a week.

Seeds such as flax, pumpkin and hemp are good sources of Omega-3 for
vegetarians, but large quantities need to be consumed to gain the same
effect.

This might translate to two tablespoons of seeds daily, Mr Holford
said, but women can also use a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supplement.

It is not just the omega-3, it is all the rest of the great nutrition
that comes from fresh fish. Like vitamins A and E and complete
proteins. There is no way that this kind of thing can be attributed to
only one simple singular component of a diet or of a given complex food
item. It is the combined sum of all components of what is a fresh good
whole food like fish. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

And that is what is wrong with the mainstream and how they look at
nutrition and health. They fixate on only a small aspect of the whole
thing and they miss the forest for the trees. They are too stupid to
consider multiple aspects at once. It s not the individual components
that make the diet strong, it is the sum total of its parts IN
COMBINATION.

The singular component bull**** is an extension of the bull**** concept
that one singular unique molecular entity will be the savior of our
sick and the resulting pharmaceutical pills will be the answer that
will make us healthy.

TC


Roman Bystrianyk wrote:
"Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'", BBC News, January 20, 2006,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4631006.stm

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future
brain power and social skills, research suggests.

A study of 9,000 mothers and children suggested those who consumed less
of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.

These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye
co-ordination, research in the Economist said.

A team from the National Institutes of Health in the US analysed data
from a long-term study done in Avon, UK.

'Frightening data'

Looking at the effects of Omega-3 intake on 9,000 mothers and their
children, the team found mothers with the lowest intake of the
essential fatty acid had children with a verbal IQ six points lower
than the average.

While those with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and
other sources of Omega-3 had children, at age three-and-a-half, with
the best measures of fine-motor performance, researchers said.

Low intake of the crucial fatty acid also appeared to lead to higher
levels of social interactions - such as an inability to make friends.

Research leader Dr Joseph Hibbeln said "frightening data" showed 14% of
17-year-olds whose mother had eaten small quantities of Omega -3 during
pregnancy demonstrated this sort of behaviour.

This compared with 8% of those born to the group with the highest
intake, he said.

Dr Hibbeln said: "The findings of poor social development and poor
motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a
developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and
poorly-socialised behaviour as they grow up."

Professor Jean Golding of Bristol University set up the original
research - the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children -15
years ago to look at the predisposition to disease.

She told the BBC: "The baby's brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids. It
doesn't create its own fatty acids so it needs to be something that the
mother will eat."

The new research also builds on earlier work in the US which suggests
pregnant mothers will develop children with better language and
communication skills if they regularly consume oily fish.

Nutritional expert Patrick Holford, director of the Brain Bio Centre,
said Omega-3 was key to children's intelligence because the brain is
formed of 60% fat - 30% of which is essential fats.

Successive studies have shown clear links between intelligence and
consumption of this essential fatty acid, he added.

Seed option

"It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3
and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."

The richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish which eat other fish,
but research shows that the larger the fish the more pollutants, such
as mercury, they contain.

For this reason Mr Holford recommends women consume two portions of
wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines weekly.

The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women should consume only one
or two portions of oily fish a week.

Seeds such as flax, pumpkin and hemp are good sources of Omega-3 for
vegetarians, but large quantities need to be consumed to gain the same
effect.

This might translate to two tablespoons of seeds daily, Mr Holford
said, but women can also use a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supplement.

Matti Narkia wrote:
20 Jan 2006 06:50:22 -0800 in article
.com "TC"
wrote:

It is not just the omega-3, it is all the rest of the great nutrition
that comes from fresh fish. Like vitamins A and E and complete
proteins.

And taurine (especially in small fish eaten as whole), calcium (in small
fish such as sardines eaten with bones), phosphatidylserine (especially in
mackerel and herring), trace-elements such as selenium, vitamin D (fish is
the best dietary source of vitamin D), etc. etc.


--
Matti Narkia

Amen. Glad to see someone else who gets it.

TC

20 Jan 2006 06:50:22 -0800 in article
.com "TC"
wrote:

It is not just the omega-3, it is all the rest of the great nutrition
that comes from fresh fish. Like vitamins A and E and complete
proteins.

And taurine (especially in small fish eaten as whole), calcium (in small
fish such as sardines eaten with bones), phosphatidylserine (especially in
mackerel and herring), trace-elements such as selenium, vitamin D (fish is
the best dietary source of vitamin D), etc. etc.


--
Matti Narkia

20 Jan 2006 05:15:31 -0800 in article
.com "Roman Bystrianyk"
wrote:

"Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'", BBC News, January 20, 2006,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4631006.stm

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future
brain power and social skills, research suggests.

A study of 9,000 mothers and children suggested those who consumed less
of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.

These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye
co-ordination, research in the Economist said.

Adults' brains also benefit from fish and fish oil consumption. Below some
references about benefits of fish and long chain omega-3 fatty acids for
the brain function:

Lukiw WJ, Cui JG, Marcheselli VL, Bodker M, Botkjaer A, Gotlinger K, Serhan
CN, Bazan NG.
A role for docosahexaenoic acid- derived neuroprotectin D1 in neural cell
survival and Alzheimer disease.
J Clin Invest. 2005 Sep 8; [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 16151530 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCI25420v1
http://www.jci.org/cgi/reprint/JCI25420v1 (full text)
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16151530
(full text)

Comment:

Fatty Acids: Good For The Brain, Good For Alzheimer Disease
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050911105120.htm

"A number of studies suggest a protective action of the
fatty acid DHA in cognitive decline and in Alzheimer
disease (AD). However, the molecular mechanism is not
understood. In a paper appearing online on September 8 in
advance of print publication of the October 1 issue of the
Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nicolas Bazan and
colleagues from Louisiana State University identify a
specific mechanism by which DHA is neuroprotective in AD.

The authors report that DHA can decrease levels of the
pathogenic Abeta peptides that are associated with
Alzheimer disease pathology in human brain cells.
Meanwhile, the synthesis of neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), an
endogenous DHA-derived messenger, is upregulated. NPD1
inhibits apoptosis triggered by Abeta peptides. In a human
AD donor brain, the authors show that DHA and NPD1 are
reduced in vulnerable brain regions.

This data raises the possibility that NPD1 is a key
regulator of cell survival, and might be manipulated for
the development of novel therapeutic strategies for
neurodegenerative diseases."

Bazan NG.
Neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1): a DHA-derived mediator that protects brain and
retina against cell injury-induced oxidative stress.
Brain Pathol. 2005 Apr;15(2):159-66. Review.
PMID: 15912889 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=15912889

Lim GP, Calon F, Morihara T, Yang F, Teter B, Ubeda O, Salem N Jr, Frautschy
SA, Cole GM.
A diet enriched with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid reduces
amyloid burden in an aged Alzheimer mouse model.
J Neurosci. 2005 Mar 23;25(12):3032-40.
PMID: 15788759 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/12/3032

Comment:

Fish Oil Holds Promise In Alzheimer's Fight
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050528141248.htm

"The new study involved older mice genetically altered to
develop Alzheimer's disease. The researchers fed one group
of the mice DHA-fortified chow. The control mice ate a
normal or DHA-depleted diet.

After three to five months--the equivalent of several
years in human biology--the high-DHA group had 70-percent
less buildup of amyloid protein in the brain. This sticky
protein makes up the plaques, or patches, that are a
hallmark of Alzheimer's.

A similar study by Cole's group published in Neuron last
fall showed that DHA protected against damage to the
"synaptic" areas where brain cells communicate and enabled
mice to perform better on memory tests.

The studies, say the scientists, suggest that even people
who are genetically predisposed to the disease may be able
to delay it by boosting their DHA intake.

Omega-3 fatty acids, typically deficient in the American
diet, are essential for human health. DHA in particular is
vital to proper brain function, as well as eye health and
other body processes. In recent years epidemiologists have
tied fish-rich diets to a lower incidence of Alzheimer's
disease and homed in on DHA as the preventive factor.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are now being tested in
clinical trials with early-stage Alzheimer's patients in
the United States, Canada and Sweden to see if the therapy
really slows the disease."

Whalley LJ, Fox HC, Wahle KW, Starr JM, Deary IJ
Cognitive aging, childhood intelligence, and the use of food supplements:
possible involvement of n-3 fatty acids.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Dec;80(6):1650-7.
PMID: 15585782 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=15585782

"CONCLUSIONS: Food supplement use and erythrocyte n-3 content are
associated with better cognitive aging. If associations with n-3 content
are causal, optimization of n-3 and n-6 fatty acid intakes could improve
retention of cognitive function in old age."

Colombo J, Kannass KN, Shaddy DJ, Kundurthi S, Maikranz JM, Anderson CJ,
Blaga OM, Carlson SE.
Maternal DHA and the development of attention in infancy and toddlerhood.
Child Dev. 2004 Jul-Aug;75(4):1254-67.
PMID: 15260876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=15260876

" These findings are consistent with evidence suggesting a link between
DHA and cognitive development in infancy. "

Daniels JL, Longnecker MP, Rowland AS, Golding J; ALSPAC Study Team.
University of Bristol Institute of Child Health.
Fish intake during pregnancy and early cognitive development of offspring.
Epidemiology. 2004 Jul;15(4):394-402.
PMID: 15232398 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=15232398

"CONCLUSIONS: When fish is not contaminated, moderate fish intake during
pregnancy and infancy may benefit development"

Kalmijn S, van Boxtel MP, Ocke M, Verschuren WM, Kromhout D, Launer LJ.
Dietary intake of fatty acids and fish in relation to cognitive performance
at middle age.
Neurology. 2004 Jan 27;62(2):275-80.
PMID: 14745067 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/2/275

"Conclusions: Fatty fish and marine omega-3 PUFA consumption was
associated with a reduced risk and intake of cholesterol and saturated
fat with an increased risk of impaired cognitive function in this
middle-aged population."

Helland IB, Smith L, Saarem K, Saugstad OD, Drevon CA.
Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during
pregnancy and lactation augments children's IQ at 4 years of age.
Pediatrics. 2003 Jan;111(1):e39-44.
PMID: 12509593 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/111/1/e39

"Conclusion. Maternal intake of very-long-chain n-3 PUFAs during
pregnancy and lactation may be favorable for later mental development of
children."

Wainwright PE.
Dietary essential fatty acids and brain function: a developmental
perspective on mechanisms.
Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 Feb;61(1):61-9. Review.
PMID: 12002796 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=12002796

Kalmijn S, Feskens EJ, Launer LJ, Kromhout D.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and cognitive function in very
old men.
Am J Epidemiol. 1997 Jan 1;145(1):33-41.
PMID: 8982020 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=8982020

"This study raises the possibility that high linoleic acid intake is
positively associated with cognitive impairment and high fish
consumption inversely associated with cognitive impairment."

--
Matti Narkia

Some more brain-related information:

http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_ne...rint_list_item

Enjoy your day.
Roman

On 20 Jan 2006 06:50:22 -0800, "TC" wrote:

It is not just the omega-3, it is all the rest of the great nutrition
that comes from fresh fish. Like vitamins A and E and complete
proteins. There is no way that this kind of thing can be attributed to
only one simple singular component of a diet or of a given complex food
item. It is the combined sum of all components of what is a fresh good
whole food like fish. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

And that is what is wrong with the mainstream and how they look at
nutrition and health. They fixate on only a small aspect of the whole
thing and they miss the forest for the trees. They are too stupid to
consider multiple aspects at once. It s not the individual components
that make the diet strong, it is the sum total of its parts IN
COMBINATION.

The singular component bull**** is an extension of the bull**** concept
that one singular unique molecular entity will be the savior of our
sick and the resulting pharmaceutical pills will be the answer that
will make us healthy.

TC

Kinda like your fixation with carbohydrates?

On 20 Jan 2006 05:15:31 -0800, Roman Bystrianyk wrote in
roups.com on
misc.kids.pregnancy,misc.kids.health,sci.med.nutri tion :

"Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'", BBC News, January 20, 2006,
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4631006.stm


Hi Roman,

I am a fish eater myself, but let me play the devil's advocate for the
moment...

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future
brain power and social skills, research suggests.

A study of 9,000 mothers and children suggested those who consumed less
of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.

They say "in pregnancy"... So it's the mothers who should eat such
foods, right?... Does the study tell anything about the diet of the
kids after weaning?


These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye
co-ordination, research in the Economist said.

Is it on Pubmed too?

A team from the National Institutes of Health in the US analysed data
from a long-term study done in Avon, UK.

'Frightening data'

Looking at the effects of Omega-3 intake on 9,000 mothers and their
children, the team found mothers with the lowest intake of the
essential fatty acid had children with a verbal IQ six points lower
than the average.

When I read about a possible correlation, I always wonder whether
there may be different reasons.

For instance, in Italy, fish is now quite an expensive food, generally
speaking, compared to meat. Besides, I believe it is a favourite food
of health concerned people. I thus guess its consumption would be
higher in top social-cultural classes rather in lower ones. Could that
explain (at least part of) the fish-brains connection?


While those with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and
other sources of Omega-3 had children, at age three-and-a-half, with
the best measures of fine-motor performance, researchers said.

Low intake of the crucial fatty acid also appeared to lead to higher
levels of social interactions - such as an inability to make friends.

Well, "ability to make friends" does not always relate to IQ, or vice
versa... Who gets along with swots?


Research leader Dr Joseph Hibbeln said "frightening data" showed 14% of
17-year-olds whose mother had eaten small quantities of Omega -3 during
pregnancy demonstrated this sort of behaviour.

"Frightening data"? Isn't that a tad of a "frightening" way of
speaking, for a researcher?


This compared with 8% of those born to the group with the highest
intake, he said.


Dr Hibbeln said: "The findings of poor social development and poor
motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a
developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and
poorly-socialised behaviour as they grow up."

Professor Jean Golding of Bristol University set up the original
research - the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children -15
years ago to look at the predisposition to disease.

She told the BBC: "The baby's brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids. It
doesn't create its own fatty acids so it needs to be something that the
mother will eat."

I gather that pregnant mothers and their babies have special needs of
essential fats...

Assuming there is indeed a link between fish in pregnancy and brains,
would that link be significant in other cases, say for the diet of
grown-ups?



The new research also builds on earlier work in the US which suggests
pregnant mothers will develop children with better language and
communication skills if they regularly consume oily fish.

Nutritional expert Patrick Holford, director of the Brain Bio Centre,
said Omega-3 was key to children's intelligence because the brain is
formed of 60% fat - 30% of which is essential fats.

Successive studies have shown clear links between intelligence and
consumption of this essential fatty acid, he added.

Seed option

"It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3
and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."

The richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish which eat other fish,
but research shows that the larger the fish the more pollutants, such
as mercury, they contain.

For this reason Mr Holford recommends women consume two portions of
wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines weekly.



The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women should consume only one
or two portions of oily fish a week.

Seeds such as flax, pumpkin and hemp are good sources of Omega-3 for
vegetarians, but large quantities need to be consumed to gain the same
effect.


This might translate to two tablespoons of seeds daily, Mr Holford
said, but women can also use a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supplement.


So they are not taking into account other elements in fish.
Those mothers ate oily fish, not fish oil supplements, right?

X'Posted to: misc.kids.pregnancy,misc.kids.health,sci.med.nutri tion

jt wrote:
On 20 Jan 2006 06:50:22 -0800, "TC" wrote:

It is not just the omega-3, it is all the rest of the great nutrition
that comes from fresh fish. Like vitamins A and E and complete
proteins. There is no way that this kind of thing can be attributed to
only one simple singular component of a diet or of a given complex food
item. It is the combined sum of all components of what is a fresh good
whole food like fish. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

And that is what is wrong with the mainstream and how they look at
nutrition and health. They fixate on only a small aspect of the whole
thing and they miss the forest for the trees. They are too stupid to
consider multiple aspects at once. It s not the individual components
that make the diet strong, it is the sum total of its parts IN
COMBINATION.

The singular component bull**** is an extension of the bull**** concept
that one singular unique molecular entity will be the savior of our
sick and the resulting pharmaceutical pills will be the answer that
will make us healthy.

TC


Kinda like your fixation with carbohydrates?

Actually I haven't fixated on one component. Refined carbs are not one
singular component. They are a class of fake foods. From sugar to high
fructose corn sugar to potato chips to white four. They are all very
different in source and in preparation.

But they do have one thing in common. They are fake manufactured foods.
They all raise blood glucose levels in unhealthy ways. They are slow
poisons being sold to our children.

I also talk about the unhealthiness of grains in general. They are good
bird or cattle food but are slow poisons to man.

Milk is no longer milk. It is now a highly processed dead substance.
Ultra high temp pasteurization kills it and deforms the protein and fat
molecules making it toxic.

Vegetable fats are highly processed manufactured foods. Hydrogenation
turns vegetable fats into poisons like trans fats.

Soy is not real food. It contain phyto-toxins and phyto-estrogens that
does more harm than it does good.

Eat real foods. Real foods don't have food labels. They rot and go bad,
unlike manufactured crap with months-long shelf lives.

Carbs are only the most prevalent modern poisons and the most insidious
because our children are being reared on and being accustomed to food
being extremely sweet. They are being hooked while they are still
sucking on a bottle.

TC