Saturday, March 10, 2012

Is fatty acid intake essential for pregnant women?

I discovered that some pregnant women try to prevent consuming any fatty food such as egg yolks, fatty meats, nuts low fat milk and any types of fatty food to prevent excess weight gain. I prefer pregnant women avoid high saturated-fat intake rather than refuse all fatty acid intake because pregnant women should maintain weight gain with a balanced diet throughout pregnancy. Fatty acids are essential for infant tissue development such as Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid) which have an AI of 1.4g/day.


Nutrient
Function
Life Stage Group
RDA/AI*
g/d
AMDRa
n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (α-linolenic acid)
Involved with neurological development and growth. Precursor of eicosanoids.
Pregnancy
≤ 18 y
19-30y
31-50 y

1.4*
1.4*
1.4*


0.6-1.2
0.6-1.2
0.6-1.2


NOTE: The table is adapted from the DRI reports, see www.nap.edu. It represents Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) in bold type, Adequate Intakes (AIs) in ordinary type followed by an asterisk (*). RDAs and AIs may both be used as goals for individual intake. RDAs are set to meet the needs of almost all (97 to 98 percent) individuals in a group. For healthy breastfed infants, the AI is the mean intake. The AI for other life stage and gender groups is believed to cover the needs of all individuals in the group, but lack of data prevent being able to specify with confidence the percentage of individuals covered by this intake.


Omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food. For example, we can find them in: vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, and flax seed oil, fish oils, fatty fish, with smaller amounts in meats and eggs. Omega-3 fatty acids can promote better infant vision and brain development by promoting more mature central nervous systems.

Flax seeds are tiny, but contribute much to a whole food, plant-based diet.
http://perfectformuladiet.com/plant-based-nutrition/five-ways-you-thrive-with-flax-seeds-for-pennies-a-day/

In the “Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans”, 2010, I found some information about “one prospective cohort study showed that low maternal fish intake was associated with increased risk of children being in the lowest quartile for verbal intelligence quotient (IQ), and increased risk of suboptimal outcomes for fine motor skills and communication/social development scores (Hibbeln, 2007).”



In the “Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans”, 2010, I found some information about “one prospective cohort study showed that low maternal fish intake was associated with increased risk of children being in the lowest quartile for verbal intelligence quotient (IQ), and increased risk of suboptimal outcomes for fine motor skills and communication/social development scores (Hibbeln, 2007).”

However, there is a important thing to remind pregnant women about. Some fish and shellfish contain potentially dangerous levels of mercury such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) and The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) say pregnant women can safely eat up to 12 ounces (340 grams) a week. Similarly, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 8 to 12 ounces of seafood a week for pregnant women. That's about two average meals of:
·         Shrimp
·         Crab
·         Canned light tuna (limit albacore tuna, chunk white tuna and tuna steak to no more than 6 ounces, or 170 grams, a week)
·         Salmon
·         Pollock
·         Catfish
·         Cod
·         Tilapia
Not all researchers agree with these limits, however, citing a study that noted no negative effects for women who ate more seafood than the FDA-approved guidelines.


Reference:
The Institute of Medicine (IOM):Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids Released: September 5, 2002


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