Flax Seed Oil During Pregnancy

Ingesting excessive amounts of flax seed oil during pregnancy should be avoided, since the effects of large amounts of flax seed oil during pregnancy have not been fully researched. Sprinkling flax seeds over your breakfast cereals or using a limited amount of flax seed oil when cooking is not dangerous for you or your fetus; the important thing is to stay away from the extreme amounts of flax seed oil recommended by many “health experts”.

Flax seed oil contains ample amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, and since several studies indicates that omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain development in the unborn child, it has caused some “health experts” to promote the ingestion of huge amounts of flax seed oil during pregnancy. Pregnancy is however a period when one should ideally avoid doing anything extreme, because we still know very little about the myriad of factors that interact with each other during a pregnancy. A thing that is highly beneficial in small doses may create serious adversary effects when ingested in large amounts.

Ingesting large amounts of flax seed oil during pregnancy may cause hormonal effects and therefore be harmful. Animal studies indicate possible damaging effects, but we still know very little about the situation for humans. Caution is therefore recommended. As mentioned above, small amounts of flax seed and flax seed oil is not a problem; it is most likely even beneficial for the pregnant woman and her unborn child. Flax seed can also have a positive effect on the constipation that many pregnant women suffer from.

___________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2006 flaxseedoil.ws
Flax Seed Oil During Pregnancy