In a study led by Harvard Dr. Emily Oken, researchers concluded that three-year-olds whose mothers ate more fish while pregnant with them score better on several tests of cognitive function than their peers whose mothers avoided seafood. Fish consumption of 
2 servings/week was not associated with a benefit.
Conversely, the study also found that the amount of mercury in a woman’s body rose with the amount of fish she had consumed. Children that were exposed to these higher levels of mercury performed worse on the same cognitive tests.
WHAT?
Sounds like a bit a classic catch-22.
Eat fish and your kids will grow up to be a super genius.
OR
Eat fish, expose your child to mercury, and he/she will grow up to be something less than a super genius.
So what are we supposed to do with this scientific breakthrough?
Based on their findings, the researchers say that it’s possible that eating Omega 3 fish could produce greater brain benefits for babies if mothers-to-be consumed seafood with lower mercury levels.
So I should avoid the fish with high mercury content.
This sounds like a job for Captain Obvious.
Okay, enough sarcasm.
The bottom line
- Eat fish that is high in Omega 3 fatty acids but low in Mercury content.
Image courtesy of the Maine Dept. of Environmental Health
- Supplement with fish oils that have been labeled Pharmaceutical Grade or Molecularly Distilled. Keep in mind that it is a little like the wild west out there with fish oil supplements. You may need to do a little research and even ask a few questions.
- The University of Guelph run International Fish Oil Standards tests fish oil supplements for their purity. Their website is here.
- I personally use the Ascenta brand Nutra-Sea fish oil. You can enter the batch number of your purchased product in their website to see the specific third part purity report, or you can see a sample report here.
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About Douglas Robb
Have you checked in to OmegaGuard by Shaklee? Triple distilled, carefully and environmentally fished, free of all of the nasty stuff. More tests done for purity and potency than any others I've seen. I also love that this company has been climate neutral since 2000 - walks the walk in all aspects.
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