TUESDAY, June 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Eating fish while pregnant doesn’t appear to increase a child’s later risk of juvenile arthritis, particularly if the fish is oily like salmon, trout or sardines, new research shows. “We cannot caution pregnant women against consuming fish solely based on this study in regards to [juvenile arthritis] risk, especially considering other research highlighting the positive impacts of a marine diet,” said lead researcher Dr. Vilde Øverlien Dåstøl , a doctoral student with Oslo University Hospital in Norway.
These findings run counter to a 2019 Swedish study that found up to a five-fold increased risk of juvenile arthritis among children whose mothers ate fish at least once a week during pregnancy, the Norwegian researchers noted. For the new study, they followed more than 73,800 Norwegian women who were pregnant between 1999 and 2008. Among the children they birthed, there were 218 cases of juvenile arthritis.
As part of another larger research effort, the women were quizzed on their diet during the first half of pregnancy. Average total fish intake per week was 218 grams, or more than 7 ounces, researchers said. No clear links were observed between juvenile arthritis and either total fish consumption or consumption of oily fish, researchers noted.
However, researchers did find a weaker link between juvenile arthritis and high consumption of lean or semi-oily fish like tilapia, cod or flounder. “We found increased odds of [j.
