Why mother and baby need fatty acids

Equazen developed mumomega to deliver the exact structural fatty acids required at a crucial time of life: before, during and after pregnancy. We all have a requirement for long-chain fatty acids, but a lot of research is showing that the particular fatty acids DHA and AA are needed as building blocks for the cells that make up the eye and brain during pregnancy. So it is vital that pregnant women have an adequate input from their diet.

As the best dietary source of these fatty acids is oily fish, issues of safety, cost and convenience make mumomega a wise choice to ensure a proper intake. The omega-3 and omega-6 oils we use in this formulation are of exceptional purity, so you can take the supplement in the knowledge that you are only putting goodness into your system.

Expecting mothers need to be fastidious about their fatty acid input, not only for babies, but for themselves. Mother Nature gives the baby priority, and it effectively treats mother's brain as a food source, stripping away structural fatty acids, which are then carried across the placenta to help grow the baby's brain. This entirely natural process can result in the maternal brain shrinking by up to 3% during pregnancy. Clearly, it is prudent at this important time to ensure a proper intake of essential fatty acids, which is where a particularly pure formulation as mumomega may be considered.

The formulation is based on extensive research into the role of fatty acids in neuro-development. About 20% of the dry weight of the brain is made up of long chain fatty acids, the majority being omega-3 DHA, and to a lesser degree omega-6 AA. These nutrients can only be supplied from the diet. It is particularly important that these long chain fatty acids are in constant supply during the third trimester of pregnancy, and the first two years of a child's life: the times when brain growth is most rapid.

One must ensure mother takes enough AA and DHA during pregnancy, and after, when the child is hopefully being breastfed. Mumomega essentially delivers what are the beneficial elements of human milk.

Of particular interest is the fact that organisations such as the Department of Health and the British Nutrition Foundation recommend we all eat more fish – at least two portions a week, of which one should be oily fish like salmon or mackerel. The main reason for this is because in addition to being an excellent low-fat protein source, oily fish is also rich in long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. In particular, the structural fatty acids play a vital role in the ‘nutritional preparation’ for pregnancy, since a diet that includes these can have positive outcomes for the developing baby and the expectant or breastfeeding mother. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also recommends that we should all eat at least two portions of fish a week. They also say: ‘Girls and women who might have a baby one day, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Other women, men and boys, can eat up to four portions of oily fish.’