Eating one serving of dark or oily fish a week could lower risk of anxiety in pregnant women, a new study suggests.
Findings showed that pregnant women who never or rarely ate dark or oily fish (salmon and tuna, for example) were 53 percent more likely to experience high levels of anxiety in their third trimester compared with women who ate fish at least once a week, the New York Daily News reported.
Vegetarian women were also 25 percent more likely to have anxiety compared with women who had consumed some fish and meat.
Researchers from the Federal University of Pelotas recruited 9,500 women for the study, grouping the women based on their dietary patterns.
At 32 weeks of pregnancy, the women completed questionnaires about their anxiety levels.
"In order to have a healthy pregnancy, women need to follow a healthy diet, and not something special for pregnancy," study author Juliana Vaz said.
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Vaz recommends a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish.
The study is published online in the journal Plos One.