About Kelly Brogan

KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.

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Fatty acid composition is highly relevant to mental health, hormonal balance, and fetal growth. A growing body of literature supports the role of omega 3 fatty acids in mitigating the toxic effects of Standard American Diet-induced membrane toxicity. One of the risks of a vegetarian diet may be limited sources of preformed long chain fatty acids such as DHA and EPA which may have psychiatric and/or obstetrical consequences.

  • This study assessed cord levels of DHA and EPA in vegetarian vs ominvorous women blood samples.
  • Duration of labor, birth weight, head circumference, and length were lower in the vegetarian cohort.
  • DHA levels did not independently correlate; however, which suggests that there are a variety of lifestyle contributors to these observed outcomes.

Limitations of a vegan and possibly a vegetarian diet include: preformed vitamin A, which many women are not able to effectively synthesize, and K2 and B12 available from animal products.Read the study which explores the risks of vegetarianism in pregnancy.

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