By Dailymail.com Reporter
Published: 16:00 GMT, 22 February 2019 | Updated: 16:00 GMT, 22 February 2019
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Pregnant women who eat a daily portion of oily fish or take supplements may protect their unborn child from high blood pressure, a new study found.
Studying obese children under the age of six, researchers found some did not experience the typical spike in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.
Further research showed most of those children had mothers who'd taken DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) during pregnancy.
The best results were seen in children of women who'd taken 600 milligrams of DHA a day.
Kids of mothers who'd taken fish oil did not have spikes in blood pressure, the study said. Pregnant women should consult their doctor when considering supplements and diet
DHA is found mostly in fish and seafood such as herring, oysters or roe.
Salmon has around 2,477mg per 6oz (170g) fillet, tuna 1940mg in a 6oz fillet, Atlantic cod 277mg per 6oz fillet
The findings are important as the prevalence of high blood pressure during childhood is on the rise, partly owing to the high rates of obesity during childhood.
Co-author Professor of Nutrition Susan Carlson at the University of Kansas explained: 'Consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid from fish oil is well known to reduce blood pressure in both adults and children.
'However, there has been recent interest in the potential programming association of DHA in utero and in early infancy with long-term physiological functions, including blood pressure.
'An observational study from the Netherlands has linked higher intrauterine DHA exposure to lower childhood blood
