Potential benefits of fish for maternal, foetal and neonatal nutrition: a review of the literature

Summary

An extensive review of the current scientific literature on the potential impact of including essential fatty acids (EFAs) derived from fish in the diets of women of childbearing age, is provided in the article. Deficiency in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been associated with visual impairment and delayed cognitive development in pre-term and low-birth-weight babies. Maize is the staple food of people in many African countries. Food consumption studies are needed in order to understand the potential of supplementing maize-based diet with EFAs from fish and consuming n-3-rich foods. Product-specific attributes, such as reactivity of each supplemented compound and its possible impact on stability, as well as market availability and costs have to be analysed.