Professor Bert Koletzko is head of the Division of Metabolic Diseases and Nutritional Medicine at the Hauner Children's Hospital, at Germany's University of Munich.
He was involved in the development of a series of consensus recommendations on omega-3 for pregnant and lactating mums, issued by the World Association of Perinatal Medicine.
"The advice is that women in pregnancy and lactation should aim to have a regular intake of these long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that you find in oily fish, to achieve an intake of about 200 milligrams or more per day," Prof Koletzko said on Thursday while on a visit to Sydney.
This was the equivalent of two meals of oily fish per week but he says this intake was "not achieved by a lot of people in most western countries".
"It's a small change in lifestyle that can major effect on long-term health," Prof Koletzko said.
He pointed to a randomised clinical trial that showed women who had a recommended omega-3 intake during pregnancy could cut their risk of premature birth by 30 per cent.
The study found for "high risk" women who'd had previous premature births, their risk was reduced by 60 per cent.
A British study of 8,000 children and a Danish study taking in 25,000 children also showed flow-on benefits for the child.
"If the mother had eaten more fish and seafood during pregnancy, then there was a marked advantage for IQ development until age eight years," Prof Koletzko says.
"Fine motor development, and social behaviour, were all beneficially affected."
Prof Koletzko met with Australian researchers in the field on Thursday and he held a public seminar at the University of Sydney.
Source: AAP NewsWire