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In the news: Seafood Tied to Reproductive Benefits; Omega-3s May Benefit Family Dynamics

Seafood May Help Couples Conceive Faster

When it comes to starting or expanding a family, some couples have a harder time conceiving than others. Infertility, defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of trying, affects 15-25% of couples in the US. Since infertility treatments are costly and not always successful, there is growing interest in identifying factors that might increase a couple’s chance of conceiving. 

A few previous studies have found a positive link between intake of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids contained in seafood, and markers of fertility in both men and women – markers such as better semen quality and increased levels of progesterone levels (a hormone that helps prepare the lining of the uterus each month to receive and nourish a fertilized egg).

Against that backdrop, a Harvard research team set out to explore the relationship between seafood intake and the time it takes to become pregnant (time to pregnancy) in a group of 501 couples attempting to conceive and who had participated in a study called the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study (1).

The couples were followed for up to 1 year or until pregnancy was detected. Their intake of seafood was collected daily in follow-up in journals. The researchers additionally looked at sexual intercourse frequency (SIF), which was also recorded in the journals.

Couples in which both male and female partners consumed 8 or more seafood servings per menstrual cycle had a 61% shorter time to becoming pregnant than couples consuming less.

Surprisingly, male and female partners with the highest seafood intake (greater or equal to 8 servings/ menstrual cycle) also had a 22% higher SIF. So a difference in sexual activity related to higher seafood consumption might also be playing a role.

The researchers point out that as of January 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend that women who are pregnant or may become pregnant eat no more than 3 seafood servings per week – a guideline that was established to limit exposure of the developing fetus to methyl-mercury and environmental chemicals present in some types of seafood.

The level of seafood consumption associated with the reproductive benefits seen in this study would be approximately 2 or more seafood servings weekly – close to the guideline recommendations.  While the authors did not mention the possibility of using supplemental fish oil omega-3s to augment seafood intake, that may also be a viable consideration.  While the results of this study are exciting, double-blind intervention studies are needed to confirm the findings. 

Omega-3s, Kids’ Behavior & Family Dynamics

A new study (2) by university and National Institutes of Health researchers suggests that supplemental omega-3s not only helps calm aggressive behavior in children, but also benefits the family as a whole.

Omega-3 supplementation had previously been shown to reduce externalizing behavior in children – behaviors such as acting out, physical aggression, disobeying rules, cheating and stealing. Evidence also suggests that improving kids’ behavior can lead to improvements in their parents’ behavior as well.

The researchers gave 1 gram of omega-3s or placebo to 200 children exhibiting aggressive behavior, and measured changes in aggressive behavior among the children’s care givers. After 6 months, and again at a 12-month follow-up, they found significant long-term reductions in psychological aggressive behavior in the adult care givers of the omega-3 supplemented kids.  Bottom line: Improving a child’s behavior may decrease overall family stress and improve family dynamics.

References

1. Gaskins AJ, et al.  Seafood intake, sexual activity, and time to pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol  Metab. Epub May 23, 2018.
2. Portnoy J, et al. Reductions of intimate partner violence reslting from supplementing children with omega-3 fatty acids: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, stratified, parallel group trial. Aggressive Behavior. Epub May, 2018.