It's truly possible to give kids a head start in life. Moms can
increase the IQ of their unborn children by supplementing their diet
with cod liver oil.
Over the course of five years, researchers in Oslo, Norway ran a
study that included 300 pregnant women. Half were given cod liver oil
supplements, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, from week 18 in their
pregnancy through the third month after their baby was born.
The brain undergoes great growth spurts during the third trimester
of pregnancy and the first few months after birth. Omega-3 fats are
integral to the development of brain cells, contributing to the membrane
that surrounds each nerve cell and facilitates the transmission of
impulses through the brain.
The women not fed cod liver oil were given placebo supplements of
corn oil for the same period of time. Both groups filled out surveys
detailing their diets. And both groups of women breast-fed their
infants.
The researchers theorized that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a type
of omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and cod liver oil, would have
beneficial effects on a baby's intelligence that could be measured at
least four years after the baby received a supplemented diet from his
mother.
Indeed, the children in the DHA-supplemented group scored higher on
cognitive tests. Their scores were equivalent to about four IQ points
higher than the children whose mothers took corn oil capsules. The study
results appeared in 2003 in the journal Pediatrics.
The study findings corroborate those of other research, observes
Norman Salem, Ph.D, senior investigator at the Laboratory of Membrane
Biochemistry and Biophysics at the National Institutes of Health.
"DHA appears to have a positive affect in many studies," he says.
"But it's important in this case to note that we're not talking about
kids who are below normal. All of these kids were normal; DHA still
boosted performance above normal levels in the test group."
This finding is in tune with a widening body of research showing
that the fat found in fish cans not only wards off heart disease but can
protect the brain and aid its operations in many ways. It lowers rates of
depression, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression and suicide.
These fish fats contain fatty acids considered "essential" because,
unlike many nutrients, our bodies cannot produce it. Omega-3s can only
come from specific parts of our diets, including seafood, walnuts and
flaxseed.
Nerves and brain cells depend on omega-3s because these cells are
made from fat. The fats in our diet will literally determine the
composition of our brains.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged the power
of DHA by suggesting that it be added to baby formula. Studies show it helps not only a baby's brain, but her eyes as well.
Salem says women should be urged to consume more fish during their
pregnancy to provide adequate DHA to their developing child. Women should
also breast-feed to bring the benefits to their babies after
birth.
"Imagine if we could boost the I.Q. of the entire population by
three or four points," he says. "That would be something."
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