Have you ever noticed that every month seems to bring a trendy new diet and yet obesity

rates continue to rise and with it a growing number of health problems?

That's why I wrote my new book How Not To Diet.

Check it out at your local public library.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast.

I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

On today's show, I discuss some of the latest research affecting women's health, starting

with the recommendation of DHA use for pregnant women.

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of DHA supplementation of pregnant

and breastfeeding women failed to find any clear and consistent short or long-term benefit

for psychomotor, mental, visual, or physical development.

Maybe DHA supplementation during pregnancy is no effect because the body isn't stupid

and protects the growth of the baby's brain by drawing off maternal stores of DHA,

upregulating maternal DHA synthesis and preferentially shuttling it to the fetus.

But what if moms don't start out with large maternal stores?

In other words, maybe DHA failed to help women who are already getting enough, but maybe

women with very low intakes would benefit from DHA supplementation.

Well, first it's interesting to note that even by 1978 researchers were suggesting plant-based

diets as the diet of choice in the treatment of our number one killer, but babies breast-fed

by vegan moms have significantly less DHA in their bloodstream, presumably because the

moms had significantly less DHA in their breast milk.

The question is whether these differences are of any consequence.

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