Salmon ‘healthy for mother and child twice a week’

Eating salmon twice a week is beneficial for maternal and newborn health, new research has revealed.

A team at the University of Granada in Spain analysed blood and urine samples from two groups of pregnant women with low fish intake, one of which continued with their normal diet while the other ate salmon from a specialist fish farm from 20 weeks’ gestation onwards.

When the food was eaten twice a week, omega-3 fatty acid levels were higher in both mothers and newborns, while the researchers concluded the diet the mums-to-be ate did not increase oxidative stress.

Biomarkers for lipid oxidation and oxidative damage to DNA were not affected by eating salmon at this frequency, it was explained, while antioxidant defences in women and their infants were improved, with higher concentrations of selenium and retinol found in their blood, which could protect against oxidative stress.

The US Environmental Protection Agency advises against eating fish high in mercury during pregnancy, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.

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