Its time Jai accepted the truth and became an omnivore

bbc.co.uk
Blind children can 'learn' to see
The brain can learn to see in later life even if it has been deprived
of visual input early on, work with blind children shows.

Fish in pregnancy 'benefits baby'  

Eating fish in pregnancy has long-term benefits for the child
Eating fish and seafood during pregnancy has long-lasting benefits for
the child, a UK study has suggested.
Children of mothers who had eaten lots of fish during pregnancy had
better communication and social skills at seven years old, the Lancet
paper says.

There are fears surrounding the possible toxic damage from eating fish
during pregnancy.

The Food Standards Agency advise that pregnant women should eat one or
two portions of oily fish a week.

But they warn against eating certain types of fish, such as shark and
marlin - or lots of tuna - because of the risks to the developing
foetus associated with mercury.

 We have very convincing findings up to the age of seven or eight

Professor Jean Golding, study leader

Previous research from the Avon Longitudinal Study Group has shown
that omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish - particularly oily fish -
are associated with boosting children's future brain power and social
skills.

However, the team had only looked at the effects up until the age of
three or four.

Behaviour

In the new analysis, researchers from Bristol University and the US
National Institutes of Health questioned 11,875 pregnant women on
their fish and seafood consumption.

They looked at social and communication skills as well as hand-eye
co-ordination and total IQ in the children up to the age of eight
years.

Socioeconomic factors were taken into account as well as information
on the rest of the women's diet.

Eating less than 12oz (340g) of fish and seafood a week was associated
with a 48% increased risk of children being in the lowest group for
verbal intelligence.

Low fish and seafood intake during pregnancy was also associated with
increased risk of poorer behaviour, motor, communication and social
development scores.

The lower the consumption of fish, the higher the risk of poorer
scores on the neurodevelopmental tests, said the researchers.

Professor Jean Golding, emeritus professor of paediatric and perinatal
Epidemiology at the University of Bristol, and head of the study, said
women should follow the FSA advice and eat a mixture of different
types of fish.

Oily fish, the most widely available source of omega-3 fatty acids,
that women should eat include salmon, mackerel, pilchards and
sardines.

She said: "The findings we had previously were very much earlier in a
child's life so it was quite possible the effect would have worn off.

"But here we have very convincing findings up to the age of seven or
eight."

Foetal exposure

Professor Robert Grimble, professor of nutrition at the University of
Southampton said omega-3 fatty acids were very important for brain
development.

"This idea of fish being toxic has been around for a long time but
this study seems to be saying that is a minor problem compared with
the benefits you get from fish."

"Studies have shown improvement in brain ability and reduction in
antisocial behaviour."

He added that infants would get omega-3 through the placenta when they
were in the womb but also through breast milk once they were born.

In 2004 the US government issued advice to women on limiting their
intake of overall seafood and fish to 340g per week to avoid foetal
exposure to trace amounts of neurotoxins.

In the UK, pregnant women are advised not to eat more than two tuna
steaks a week (weighing about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four
medium-size cans of tuna a week (with a drained weight of about 140g
per can) because of the levels of mercury.