Читать книгу Safe Food: What to eat and drink in pregnancy - Rosie Dodds - Страница 33

Polyunsaturated fats are important because they contain essential fatty acids. These special fatty acids are called ‘essential’ because (unlike other fatty acids) they cannot be made in our bodies – we have to get them from our food. The essential fatty acids are needed for normal brain development and the production of some of the hormones necessary for a healthy pregnancy. (Hormones are special chemicals working in our bodies.)

There are two essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Linoleic acid is found mainly in nuts, and in plant oils such as sunflower, soya or corn oil. Good sources of the other essential fatty acid – linolenic acid – are oily fish (tinned or fresh sardines, mackerel and salmon), eggs and lean meat.

It is important to take in a balance of the two fatty acids. Unless you are on a very low-fat diet, you are probably taking enough linoleic acid, but most of us would benefit from eating more oily fish and so increasing our intake of the second essential fatty acid, linolenic acid. Scientific research suggests that women who eat more oily fish tend to have longer pregnancies and bigger babies. There may also be a link between taking fish oil during pregnancy and a reduction in the risk of pre-eclampsia, a serious disorder of pregnancy.