Omega 3’s during pregnancy and lactation | Dr Kristina Harris | The Proof Podcast EP 209

In Episode #209, I sit down with Dr Kristina Harris Jackson to deep dive into the effects of omega-3 consumption on lactation and pregnancy.

Dr Kristina Harris Jackson furthers *The Proof*’s exploration of omega-3s in this episode, offering her expertise in a discussion centred around maternal health. Nutrition during pregnancy can be a sensitive and confusing topic; when parents are trying to do everything they can to ensure optimal health outcomes, the abundance of available information is overwhelming. Today, Dr Harris Jackson provides some much-needed clarity and insight into omega-3s and pregnancy.

With a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and an array of published papers, Dr Kristina Harris Jackson is extremely qualified to speak on today’s topic. She is the Director of Research at OmegaQuant Analytics, with a particular focus on omega-3s and maternal health. Here, Dr Harris Jackson helped create the Prenatal DHA test and the Mother’s Milk DHA test. If some of this sounds familiar, that’s because it is – in Episode #208, her father Dr Bill Harris appeared on the show to offer a wealth of knowledge on omega-3s and human health more generally.

In this episode, we cover a whole suite of information around omega-3s across early life stages. You will learn about the importance of nutritional biomarkers and exactly how important omega-3s are during pregnancy. We also discuss the potential effect of DHA on gestation length, inflammation during pregnancy, and how genetic variations may affect omega-3 conversion. Finally, Dr Harris Jackson shares supplementation guidelines, outcomes, and plant-based sources of omega-3s.

Specifically, we cover:

0:00 Intro
1:42 Kristina’s Story
17:51 Omega 3s Explained
22:15 Pregnancy & Omega 3s
30:58 Explaining the Mechanisms
38:12 Optimal Intake of Omega 3s
1:02:26 Supplementing Omega 3’s during pregnancy
1:43:40 Infant Formula
1:47:43 Long-Term Effect on Children
1:53:55 Summary of What’s Important
2:00:56 Outro

I love having the opportunity to extend conversations on a topic with a variety of guests across multiple episodes. There will always be more to learn, but Dr Harris Jackson does a brilliant job of packing a lot of information into just one episode.

Thank you to The Proof friend [Eimele Essential 8](http://www.eimele.com/simon) for sponsoring today’s episode. [Eimele Essential 8](http://www.eimele.com/simon) offers the right nutrients, in the right doses, to complement a plant-rich diet. To save 5% on your first order, head to [theproof.com/friends](https://theproof.com/friends/).

Enjoy, friends.

Simon


*Supporting studies*

- Should there be a target level of docosahexaenoic acid in breast milk? [PMID: 26751734](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26751...)
- Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy [PMID: 30480773](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30480...)
- Should there be a target level of docosahexaenoic acid in breast milk? [PMID: 26751734](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26751...)
- High liveborn birth weights in the Faroes: a comparison between birth weights in the Faroes and in Denmark. [PMID: 3989432](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3989432/)
- Dose-response relationship between docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake and lower rates of early preterm birth, low birth weight and very low birth weight [PMID: 30392575](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30392...)
- Cochrane Review: Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy [PMID: 30480773](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30480...)
- Higher dose docosahexaenoic acid supplementation during pregnancy and early preterm birth: A randomised, double-blind, adaptive-design superiority trial [PMID: 34308309](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34308...)

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