By Atuna

A study from Harvard Medical School, in partnership with Danish and Dutch universities, stated that fish intake during pregnancy and the duration of breastfeeding are independently associated with better early child development.

The study analyzed 25.446 children born to mothers participating in the Danish National Birth Cohort, a prospective population-based cohort study including pregnant women enrolled between 1997 and 2002.

Mothers reported child development by a standardized interview, which was used to generate developmental scores at ages 6 and 18 months old. The method used to evaluate the odds of higher developmental scores associated with maternal fish intake and breastfeeding was developed after adjustment for child age, sex, and growth; maternal size and pregnancy characteristics; and parental education and social status.

The results showed that higher maternal fish intake and greater duration of breastfeeding were associated with higher child developmental scores.

According to the report, very few studies have examined the overall effect of maternal fish intake during pregnancy on child development or examined whether the developmental benefits of maternal fish intake are greater in infants breastfed for a shorter duration.

The authors recommend, in their conclusions, that future research and consumption guidelines should consider the overall effect of prenatal fish consumption on child development.