Study questions fish oils for pregnant women

Women sometimes take fish-oil tablets when they are pregnant in the hope that the omega-3s in them could help to boost their baby's cognition and stop them developing postnatal depression; however, a new study by researchers from the University of Adelaide suggests that they could be wasting their time. The study involved 2,400 women in five Australian maternity hospitals between 2005 and 2009. Half of the women took fish-oil capsules and half took vegetable-oil ones. The study found that there was no difference between the two groups in either their babies' cognition at 18 months or the women's incidence of postnatal depression.