Reduce your child’s risk of allergies
A government study commissioned by the British Food Standards Agency, had scientists at the Imperial College in London pool data from more than 400 studies involving 1.5 million mothers and their children and had some rather astounding findings regarding allergy risks.
When one, yes one fish oil capsule was taken starting at the 20th week pregnancy and continued for 3-4 months during breastfeeding, egg allergies were reduced by 30 percent. And the risk of developing Eczema was reduced by 22 per cent in children whose mothers took a probiotic supplement between 36 and 38 weeks of pregnancy.
For many of our readers this is less than new news as there continues to be a barrage of new information supporting the use of these two very accessable low risk products. When it comes to the fish oils remember that they should be refrigerated and to purchase quality products. How do you know…. it’s not the price it has to do with the source, processing and what’s used to keep the oil from going rancid. A good article on the subject is available at: Nordic Naturals. To be clear there are other reputable firms that also produce quality products. Their explanation of how to choose a fish oil capsule is why their site is listed.
It’s important to note that there are non-fish sources of the DHA/EPA active ingredients found in the fish based capsules. Algal oil, an algae based option, is a viable and easily available product to consider. It has a lower potential for toxic metal accumulation and clearly is more ecologically sound.
On the probiotic news sites. There has been a similar explosion of literature most of which has focused on the fact that the numbers game being played in the commercial arena should not be the swaying factor to purchase an item. There is also the use of many strains to try to get every type of probiotic into a pill or capsule. Again this may not be the key to a good product. Most of the published papers regarding the friendly bacteria in PubMed clearly only use a single or a few stains of a known concentration to achieve disease changes.
One of the newest considerations regarding one’s gut bacteria are what other medications, not antibiotics, are being taken. Did you know that the ~24% of non-antibiotic common medications have an influence on your microbiome. (gut contents) Now it would be almost silly not to suggest that the class of prebiotics, those products that feed our gut bacteria, should be a starting point regardless of where you are in terms of your pregnancy or breastfeeding journey. Easiest way to seed the microbiome…..eat lots of fiber containing foods. Veggies top the list but don’t leave out all the rest of the whole food plant based groups.
Another interesting finding of this meta analysis, the researchers “found no evidence that avoiding potentially allergenic foods such as nuts, dairy and eggs during pregnancy made a difference to a child’s allergy or eczema risk.”
So should you consider using both a fish or non-fish based oil capsule and/or a probiotic ? See your health care provider and open up the dialogue.
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