How Fish Oil Benefits Babies
You are probably wondering how can fish oil benefit a little baby? A baby in the Boston area was born prematurely and developed intestinal problems so severe that surgeries left him unable to absorb enough nourishment. Babies with bowel troubles can be fed intravenously, but most quickly develop liver problems. Liver transplant is usually the most common solution, but sometimes even with one these babies don’t make it to their first birthdays. It’s been long known that intravenous fluid that helped keep the babies alive called parenteral nutrition was also eating away at their livers. The doctors at Children’s Hospital discovered why total parenteral nutrition seemed to have been causing these problems and how to fix it. The doctors swapped the IV feedings, giving the babies fluids with fish oils, known as omega-3’s, instead of the standard plant oils, or omega-6. Within weeks, the babies livers began to rebound, and they no longer needed transplants. If this discovery is accurate and the plant oils that are totally safe when eaten become toxic when delivered to the system undigested, this finding might hold implications for other babies with diseased bowels and even for adults who are dependent on intravenous feeding. Roughly 30,000 people a year are affected. Liver disease is a common problem among adults fed intravenously!