Omega-3s improve cognitive function

The US Tuna Foundation, an independent committee of the National Fisheries Institute, says that the results of a new survey indicate that children of mothers who consumed increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy display improved cognitive skills.

The study, which is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted in partnership by groups based at the Universities of Connecticut and Louisiana State. The researchers found that children of mothers who consumed additional omega-3s at their 24th week of pregnancy showed greater problem solving skills at nine months than those whose mothers had not taken the supplement.

The Foundation said that the results add to the increasing body of information, published in prestigious science periodicals such as The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association, advocating the consumption of fatty acids as a means of maintaining optimal cognitive health.