Women who eat fish during pregnancy ‘more likely to have brainy and sociable children’

• Children of mothers who ate oily fish during pregnancy had better motor and social skills

By Claire Bates

Women who eat fish during pregnancy are more likely to have brainy and sociable children, according to new EU-funded research.

Those mothers-to-be who tucked into oily fish like tuna, sardines and salmon produced infants who scored better in various tests of skill and intelligence, it found.

As part of a £5 million European Commission study into diet, Spanish researchers examined 2,000 women at the 20th week of pregnancy and again after birth.

Fish supper: Children of women who had consumed the most oily fish during pregnancy did the best in the tests

They questioned them on their diets and took blood samples to test for levels of omega-3 and omega-6, the healthy fatty acids found in oily fish in particular.

The infant children were subsequently tested with verbal intelligence quizzes and on their social and fine motor skills.

The offspring of women who had consumed the most oily fish during pregnancy did the best in the tests, said the University of Granada study.

Omega-3, in particular, contributes to the healthy development of the brain and eyes of a foetus, the researchers told the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It contains the acid DHA which is a major component of brain cell membranes.

The report added: ‘The amount of DHA transmitted to the foetus through the placenta might be crucial for foetal development.’

The study is part of a bigger project into the effects of diet on newborn babies that will continue until 2013.

It follows a study last year that found eating fish during pregnancy could cut a woman’s odds of developing post-natal depression.

Post-natal depression affects up to 13 per cent of new mothers – and lasts more than a year in severe cases, even with counselling and medication.

However, too much oily fish in pregnancy can be bad for the baby’s development, so experts say it is important that mothers-to-be strike a balance when trying to boost their levels of omega-3.

Women who had taken a regular omega-3 pill scored better on a questionnaire designed to spot symptoms of post-natal depression than those given a placebo.

For example, they were less likely to say they suffered from anxiety or a loss of self-worth.

Lead researcher Dr Michelle Price Judge from the University of Connecticut added while some women may prefer the thought of supplements, eating fish is the more nutritious option.

Sugar ‘is toxic and must be regulated just like cigarettes’, claim scientists

• ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly’
• Sugar ‘contributes to 35m deaths a year’ worldwide
  

By Fiona Macrae

Sugar is a poison and its sale should be as tightly regulated as cigarettes and alcohol, scientists say.

They warn that sugary foods and drinks are responsible for illnesses including obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver problems.

And they claim it contributes to 35million deaths a year worldwide and is so dangerous it should be controlled through taxation and legislation.

Sugar is ‘toxic’ beyond its calories, warn scientists. They suggest a sales tax licensing requirements on vending machines

In an article entitled The Toxic Truth About Sugar, published in the journal  Nature, the scientists add: ‘A little is not a problem but a lot kills – slowly.’

The U.S. authors warn obesity is now a bigger problem than malnourishment across the world, and that sugar not only makes people fat but also changes the body’s metabolism, raises blood pressure, throws hormones off balance and harms the liver.

The damage done mirrors the effects of drinking too much alcohol – which the scientists point out is made from distilling sugar.

The authors, led by Robert Lustig, a childhood obesity expert at California University, say that, like alcohol, sugar is widely available, toxic, easily abused and harmful to society.

They say teaching children about diet and exercise is unlikely to be effective and instead the answer lies in taxes and restricting availability.

The study recommends using taxation to double the price of fizzy drinks, restricting their sale to those over 17 or 18, and tightening regulations covering school vending machines and snack bars.

Dr Laura Schmidt, also of California University, said: ‘We’re not talking about prohibition. We’re not advocating a major imposition of the government into people’s lives.

‘What we want is actually to increase people’s choices by making foods that aren’t loaded with sugar comparatively easier and cheaper to get.’

The article also reveals that consumption of sugar has tripled in the past 50 years and that there are now more obese people than malnourished ones across the world.

It concludes that responsibility lies with the food companies, saying that while they may resist change, shifts in policy are possible if the pressure is great enough. Examples include the ban on smoking in public places and the fitting of airbags in cars.

The article ends: ‘These simple measures are taken for granted as tools for our public health and well-being. It’s time to turn our attention to sugar.’

However, other scientists have described the essay as ‘puritanical’, saying sugar is only toxic when eaten in unrealistic amounts.  

Barbara Gallani, of the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the UK food and drink industry, said that while urgent action was needed to beat heart and other diseases, it was wrong to focus on sugar alone. 

 She added: ‘The causes of these diseases are multi-factorial and demonising food components does not help consumers to build a realistic approach to their diet.

‘The key to good health is a balanced and varied diet in a lifestyle that includes plenty of physical activity.’

by Cassie Shortsleeve

Inhaling your food? Blame your fast-eating friend. New research published in the journal PLoS ONE shows that you match your dining partner’s eating pace—and even take bites at the same time as them.

Why? “We automatically mimic many aspects of the people with whom we interact, including their postures, gestures, mannerisms, and speech accents,” says Roel Hermans, lead researcher of the study.

But we also copycat to fit in, Hermans adds, because the way people eat can lead to negative judgments. Case in point: When men in a study were asked to rate women on how desirable they were as a friend or a potential romantic partner, the ones who ate small meals were rated higher than women who ate larger meals. Scarfing down food also leads to weight gain. Since it takes about 20 minutes for your body to register hunger, people tend to eat more when they eat faster. So if you’re with a friend who’s known to shove a burger down his throat, take a sip of water after every bite. It’ll prevent you from falling into his food groove, and the extra H₂O will help you feel fuller, faster.