Consuming fish may keep off allergies in children

Woman who consume oily fish during pregnancy or breast-feeding may lessen the risk of their kids developing asthma, food allergies or hay fever.

Kid (Representational pic)

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A study conducted by researchers says that fish consumption regularly can help in thwarting allergies in kids.

Woman who consume oily fish during pregnancy or breast-feeding may lessen the risk of their kids developing asthma, food allergies or hay fever.

The findings have showed that children introduced to fish and eggs -- major source of omega 3 fatty acids -- before 11 months of age had a lower risk of developing allergies. 

"Fish intake in the family seems to reduce the risk of allergies," said Karin Jonsson from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, in a statement.

Kids who eat fish, eggs and flour early in life were found to have less allergies, as they had higher levels of omega-3 in their blood.

The results showed that at birth, and again at four months of age, the healthy children had higher proportions of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, in their blood.

"The levels corresponded with the mother's intake of fatty fish. The mothers of children with high proportions of omega-3 in the blood had been eating a lot of fish during pregnancy and lactations, and we could also see evidence of this in their breastmilk," Jonsson explained.

(With IANS inputs)

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.