Researchers are working on a project to investigate the possible link between seafood and PPD further by mapping the diet of pregnant women against the incidence of PPD. Researchers compared the incidence of PPD in 23 different countries with the intake of seafood in the same countries. The study showed that the more seafood that was eaten by the population, the lower was the number of women who were affected by PPD.
Marian Kjellervold Malde, a researcher at the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) in Bergen, Norway, said that the diet is important both during pregnancy and after giving birth. Norwegian women who are at a reproductive age and pregnant consume little seafood. At the same time, it is perhaps these women who need it the most, since they are carrying a child whose nutrients comes from the mother.
Researchers will study how the diet can affect both the mental health of the mother after pregnancy and the development of the child. There will be a close collaboration with the municipality of Fjell. It is informed that the study is mapping the seafood intake, in particular. They are aiming to find out whether more seafood in the diet can lead to a
better nutritional status and fewer mental disorders among pregnant women, and the significance this can have for the child.
It is fact that seafood contains a number of nutrients which are not found in other food products in naturally high levels. Malde said that seafood is healthy, nutritious food that belongs in a varied diet, as fruit and vegetables. Results from several scientific studies indicate that the nutrients in seafood can contribute to an improved mental health.
