Fish Oil Supplements During Pregnancy Won't Help

By: Susan Harris
Staff Writer
Published: Oct 20, 2021

Fish oil supplements during pregnancy won't help. Taking supplements during pregnancy, such as fish oil, won't boost a baby's brain. A recent study also shown that fish oil supplements do not prevent postpartum depression in women during pregnancy.

Overall cognitive scores were nearly identical. In fact, the language scores tended to be lower in children exposed to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich fish oil during gestation than scores in controls. The study was released by Maria Makrides of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia.

As for the new mothers, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of depressive symptoms. Researchers studied women during the first six months postpartum between those who took the fish oil pills and those who didn't. The report was published in the Oct. 20 issue of the American Medical Association.

Many pregnant women have turned to such supplements to meet recommendations for daily intake of 200 mg/d DHA. This is a critical nutrient for neurodevelopment for which fish is the main dietary source. There are also many conflicting studies that report different.