Could fish consumption reduce the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy?

New research explores the link between fish consumption and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Toyama Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children's Study, University of Toyama

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Prospective study from Japan explores the potential link between fish consumption before and during pregnancy and the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

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Credit: Professor Kei Hamazaki from University of Toyama, Japan

A new prospective study from Japan explored whether fish consumption before and during pregnancy is linked to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Researchers analyzed data from women in Japan, examining fish, n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake across different stages of pregnancy. The results reveal an intriguing pattern that may have implications for preconception and prenatal nutrition.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are among the most common complications of pregnancy, affecting approximately 5–10% of pregnancies worldwide. Conditions such as gestational hypertension and preeclampsia can have serious consequences for both mothers and babies. As diet is a potentially modifiable factor, understanding whether specific dietary patterns are associated with HDP risk could help inform preconception and prenatal care. Fish is an important source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which have been associated with cardiovascular and vascular health, partly through their anti-inflammatory effects. However, evidence linking fish consumption with the risk of HDP remains limited.

To explore this relationship, a team of researchers led by Associate Researcher Takuya Inouye from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, along with Professor Eiji Yoshioka from the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan, and Professor Kei Hamazaki from the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, examined whether fish consumption before and during pregnancy was associated with the risk of HDP. Explaining the motivation behind the study, Dr. Inouye says, “Given the importance of n-3 PUFAs during pregnancy, we have long been interested in how fish consumption may influence maternal and child health.” The study was published in Volume 65 of the European Journal of Nutrition on September 8, 2026.

The researchers drew on data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), a large prospective cohort involving 86,009 women. Fish consumption, along with n-3 and n-6 PUFA intake, was assessed at two time points: during the year before pregnancy and during mid-to-late pregnancy. Participants were divided into five intake groups, or quintiles, and assessed for overall HDP and early-onset HDP.

The results revealed an interesting pattern. Dr. Inouye shares, “Higher fish intake before pregnancy was associated with lower odds of early-onset HDP, while higher intake during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of overall and late-onset HDP.” Among all women, those in the highest fish-intake group before pregnancy had 34% lower odds of early-onset HDP (aOR, 0.66). The association was even stronger among women in their first pregnancy, who had 43% lower odds (aOR, 0.57). During pregnancy, women in the fourth fish-intake group had 14% lower odds of overall HDP (aOR, 0.86). Higher fish intake was also associated with a 21% reduction in the odds of late-onset HDP among women experiencing their first pregnancy (aOR, 0.79).

However, the findings were not equally strong for all dietary measures. Associations between total n-3 PUFA intake and HDP were weaker and less consistent, suggesting that the observed relationship may not be explained simply by total n-3 PUFA intake. The associations were most pronounced among women in their first pregnancy and were not statistically significant among women who had previously given birth.

These findings could have implications for preconception care and dietary counseling for women planning a pregnancy and those who are pregnant. “Fish consumption, starting before pregnancy, should continue to be recommended as part of a healthy diet to support a healthy pregnancy,” notes Dr. Inouye. However, as this was an observational study, participants’ diets were not controlled, and the results cannot establish that fish consumption directly prevents HDP. Further studies, including intervention trials that control fish intake, are needed to determine whether fish consumption itself has a beneficial effect on HDP risk.

Overall, this prospective cohort study found that higher fish intake before and during pregnancy was associated with lower odds of certain forms of HDP. While causation cannot be established, the findings support further research into fish consumption as part of healthy preconception and prenatal nutrition.

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Reference

DOI:  10.1007/s00394-026-04103-7

About University of Toyama

The University of Toyama, located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, is a national university formed in 2005 through the integration of three institutions: Toyama University, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, and Takaoka National College. Today, it encompasses nine schools and multiple graduate programs, research centers, and a university hospital. The university is particularly recognized for its strengths in medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, natural medicine, and interdisciplinary research. Its School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences promote collaboration across healthcare and life sciences, while the Institute of Natural Medicine advances research integrating traditional and Western medicine.

Website: https://www.u-toyama.ac.jp/en/

About Dr. Takuya Inouye from the University of Toyama, Japan

Dr. Takuya Inouye, MD, PhD, is an obstetrician-gynecologist affiliated with Gunma University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Toyama University EcoChild Research Unit. He graduated from medical school in 2015 and is a certified specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in Japan. He also completed his doctoral program in 2026 and earned a PhD in Medicine. His research focuses on maternal nutrition, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health, and the relationship between fish and polyunsaturated fatty-acid intake and maternal health. Inouye has contributed to several clinical and epidemiological studies, including research using the large-scale Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS).

Funding information:

The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) was funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The findings and conclusions of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the above government.

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Journal

European Journal of Nutrition

DOI

10.1007/s00394-026-04103-7

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Association of the maternal fish and PUFA intake with the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a nationwide birth cohort—The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)

Article Publication Date

8-Sep-2026

COI Statement

Kei Hamazaki has received lecture honoraria from Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., Suntory Wellness Ltd., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Pfizer Japan Inc., and Kensho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for presentations related to n-3 PUFAs. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.

 

Potatoes could be the secret to better plant-based meat, say food scientists

Potatoes could hold the key to making better gluten-free plant-based meat, according to a new study

Heriot-Watt University

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Potatoes could hold the key to making better gluten-free plant-based meat, according to a new study.

Scientists at the University of Greenwich and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have investigated whether potato protein could be combined with fava beans to create the firm, fibrous structure needed to mimic meat. 

Currently, wheat gluten is commonly added to vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes because it helps give products their characteristic chewiness.

This makes the products unsuitable for people who have coeliac disease, or who are sensitive to gluten. 

The University of Greenwich and Heriot-Watt researchers wanted to find out whether potato protein could be used as an alternative. 

Their findings have been published in the journal Food Hydrocolloids. 

An alternative protein for the meat-free sector 

The team combined fava bean protein with either wheat gluten or potato protein before putting the mixtures through a process known as high-moisture extrusion.

This uses heat, pressure and mechanical force to reshape proteins into fibrous structures similar to those found in meat.

The researchers tested a mixture containing 75 per cent fava bean protein and 25 per cent potato protein and compared it with fava bean protein alone and a mixture containing wheat gluten.

They found the potato protein formed a particularly strong network with the fava bean protein.

Dr Parag Archaya, from the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at the University of Greenwich, said, “The gluten version was softer and springier, but the potato protein version was still able to provide the structure required for a meat alternative. 

“Fava beans are increasingly being investigated as a source of plant protein because they can be grown in cooler climates and contain high levels of protein.

“They’re still underused in the meat-free sector, which relies heavily on soy, pea protein and wheat gluten. 

“Combining fava beans with potato protein could be the secret ingredient to more realistic plant-based meat.” 

A matter of taste 

Once texture was established, the researchers wanted to find out whether the potato and fava bean version actually tasted better. 

They say more work is needed in the flavour department. 

Professor Stephen Euston, a food scientist from Heriot-Watt’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, said: “We used an electronic taste sensing system that could detect bitterness, astringency, umami and aftertastes. 

“Unfortunately, while the potato protein version had a great structure, its taste is more bitter and astringent, and it left a stronger lingering aftertaste. 

“Food companies would need to find ways of reducing the bitterness before this could be widely used in consumer products.”

The research was funded by the Bezos Earth Fund through the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein (BCSP/IC/001) and UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). 

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Journal

Food Hydrocolloids

Article Title

High moisture extrusion of fava bean protein blend: Evaluating potato protein as gluten replacement for texture enhancement

Article Publication Date

23-Oct-2026

 

Computer scientists build innovative tech tools to find experiments, detect citation “hallucinations”

Web-based LLMs aimed at optimizing research protocols, validating scholarly citations

New York University

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New York University computer scientists and students have developed a pair of web-hosted AI systems designed to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the research process—by spotting  “hallucinations” in academic citations and by identifying appropriate experimental protocols for scientific studies.

“We think these two tools will be most useful to natural scientists and, eventually, social scientists who wish to design new experiments based on the most relevant existing protocols and want to be sure that papers they write and depend on fairly represent the literature they cite,” said Dennis Shasha, a professor of computer science at NYU’s Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science, who led both projects. 

The tools are described in a pair of articles in the journal MDPI Information.

Hallucination Nerd permits users to check whether the claims a document makes about its citations are, in fact, backed up by the cited documents. It grades such claim-citation pairs as “Supported,” “Partially Supported,” “Not Supported,” “Contradicted,” “Cited article does not exist,” or “Could not access.” 

“Checking all the claims an article makes about other articles helps both readers and authors to determine whether the citing article fairly represents the state of the art,” explains Shasha. “Accurately and efficiently evaluating previous research can only improve subsequent, related studies.”

Protocol Nerd aims to help bench scientists seeking experimental protocols for their research projects—for instance, a biologist looking for ways to make rice more drought tolerant. In this scenario, if a user asks for such a protocol in English (e.g. “Find protocols that test for drought tolerance in rice”), ProtocolNerd would first ask clarifying questions (e.g. “What is the growth stage of the rice plant?”) and would explain why it’s asking. Once the scientist answers these questions, ProtocolNerd would provide multiple protocols and give reasons why each protocol might be helpful—or, alternatively, might not be. 

“Many hundreds of thousands of experimental protocols exist—but sorting through them is labor-intensive and error-prone,” observes Shasha, who adds that ProtocolNerd is currently aimed at molecular biology and chemistry but can be extended by a domain expert to other disciplines, such as psychology and economics, even if that domain expert is not a programmer. 

“If an experimentalist wishes to answer a new scientific question and needs a protocol to address that question, finding the right protocol quickly is of great use,” he notes.

The researchers validated their models by drawing upon research databases. 

For ProtocolNerd, the validation used scientific articles from PubMed and Europe PMC. For each article, the benchmark tested whether ProtocolNerd and other state-of-the-art systems could find the protocol used by the article based solely on the title and abstract of the article.

For HallucinationNerd, the validation made use of arXiv, a full text/open access repository of research papers. It gauged the tool’s ability to separate hallucinations from supported claims by testing its outputs against the contents of papers in the repository and compared its performance against existing systems. 

“We designed testing frameworks that closely resemble randomized control trials for the same reason that bench scientists consider such trials the gold standard in their field: to eliminate bias and be able to test for statistical significance,” Shasha concludes.

The work was supported by NYU Wireless, an academic research center at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering that backs advances in wireless communications, sensing, networking, and devices, and the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (DE-AR0002025 M0002). 

# # #

Editor’s Note: 

In November 2025, NYU announced the establishment of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science. The newly established school recognizes the storied history of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences—and its strengths in both applied and pure mathematics—while encompassing NYU’s Center for Data Science and linking the computer science departments at Courant and the Tandon School of Engineering.  

 

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Journal

Information

DOI

10.3390/info17111053

Article Title

HallucinationNerd: A Framework and Tool to Detect Hallucinations and Unsupported Claims

Article Publication Date

22-Oct-2026

 

Chaos makes sense of market movements in a crisis

Research shows how financial markets become closely coupled during major events

Anglia Ruskin University

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Study author Dr Domenico Vicinanza of Anglia Ruskin University

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Credit: Anglia Ruskin University

Research shows that crises do more than cause financial market volatility and falling share prices – they lead to markets becoming far more interconnected.

Published in the Journal of Risk and Financial Management, the study by Dr Domenico Vicinanza of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England, examined the behaviour of major stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic during the Global Financial Crisis and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Using a statistical technique derived from chaos theory, known as convergent cross-mapping, the study analysed movements in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, FTSE 100 and DAX before, during and after each crisis.

Unlike conventional approaches that focus on correlation – market A directly causes a movement in market B – the study examined whether the dynamics of one market contained recoverable information about another, an indicator of deeper nonlinear connections between markets.

Studying nonlinear dynamical coupling, where markets become linked through factors such as feedback loops, investor sentiment and policy announcements, shows the extent to which the behaviour of one market leaves a detectable footprint in another. In practical terms, this means the behaviour of one market becomes increasingly informative about the behaviour of others.

The research found that market interconnectedness increased sharply during both crises studied, with markets responding more strongly to the same global pressures.

The most striking results emerged during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Every market relationship tested between the Dow Jones, S&P 500, FTSE 100 and DAX suggested that the crisis produced a broad strengthening of links across the system, rather than reflecting temporary movements alone. The study’s average coupling measure increased by 16% from the pre-crisis period to the crisis period.

The research found that the strengthening of these connections happened quickly, with the strongest links between US and European markets appearing within a window of three trading days, and many happening simultaneously.

While Covid-19 produced a sharp but relatively short spike in connectivity during the crisis phase, the strong links between markets lasted for longer during the Global Financial Crisis, with coupling continuing and then peaking in the post-crisis phase.

The research also showed that these connections were not flowing in a single direction, although the US markets exerted a slightly stronger influence on European markets during the pandemic.

Author Dr Domenico Vicinanza, Associate Professor of Intelligent Systems and Data Science Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “This study shows that methods derived from chaos theory can provide new insights into the behaviour of financial markets.

“Convergent cross-mapping complements established tools such as correlation analysis and volatility measures by revealing how markets interact as complex, evolving systems and it highlights that the connections between markets can be just as important as the behaviour of individual markets.

“If two markets are genuinely connected, the movement of one market may leave a detectable trace in the other. It is a bit like seeing footprints in the sand. You may not see the person walking, but the footprint tells you that something has passed through. In this case, the ‘footprint’ is a pattern in the data showing that one market carries information about another.

“Understanding connections is vital because financial risk is not determined only by how much one market falls by or how volatile it becomes. Financial risk depends on the closeness of connections between markets when stress spreads through the system. If markets become more dynamically coupled during crises, then diversification, hedging and risk monitoring may need to take account of this changing structure.

“During the Covid-19 crisis in particular, the major US and European markets behaved less like separate markets and more like parts of a single, tightly connected global system, which may explain why traditional strategies offered limited protection during the sharp market sell-off of early 2020.

“When markets become tightly linked, shocks can spread more rapidly, and investors have fewer opportunities to reduce risk through diversification. Rather than being driven by local factors, markets in times of crisis become influenced by common global forces, and the behaviour of one market becomes more informative about the behaviour of others.”

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Journal

Journal of Risk and Financial Management

DOI

10.3390/jrfm19080558

Article Title

Nonlinear Market Coupling During COVID-19 and the Global Financial Crisis: A Convergent Cross-Mapping Analysis of US and European Equity Indices

 

Still at school—and already first author

Farell Keiser: three years of research at Bielefeld University

Bielefeld University

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For the past three years, student Farell Keiser has been conducting research at Bielefeld University in the Terahertz Physics research group led by Professor Dmitry Turchinovich. Physical Review B has now published the research group’s paper, entitled ‘Time-dependent terahertz dielectric function of ZnTe under two-photon optical excitation at a wavelength of 800 nm’ – with Farell Keiser as the lead author. He has also already won a Best Paper Award at an international conference.

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Credit: Nicolas S. Beermann/Bielefeld University

Farell Keiser has been conducting research at Bielefeld University for three years in the Terahertz Physics Group led by Professor Dmitry Turchinovich. A paper by the group has now been published in Physical Review B—with Keiser as first author. The article was also selected as an “Editors’ Suggestion”—an editorial distinction given to only a small number of particularly interesting and significant contributions. First authorship usually identifies the person who made the central contribution to a scientific study. For someone still at school, such first authorship in a leading international physics journal is exceptional.

The research focuses on zinc telluride (ZnTe), which for more than three decades has been one of the most widely used nonlinear crystals for generating and detecting terahertz (THz) radiation with ultrashort laser pulses. THz radiation is used in a wide range of scientific and technological fields—from nanoscience and astronomy to security technology and telecommunications. Keiser observed experimentally that intense laser pulses transiently change ZnTe’s optical properties in the THz range—even under the conditions routinely used for THz generation. He described and characterised these changes using an established theoretical model. The findings enable a more accurate physical description of THz generation in ZnTe.

“Farell did not work on a simplified project specially prepared for a high-school student. He carried out a real experiment, obtained original results, processed the data and made the principal contribution to data analysis and preparation of the manuscript,” says Turchinovich.

In April, Keiser presented the work at the international SPIE Photonics Europe conference in Strasbourg. He received the Best Student Paper Award for his talk, “Transient THz dielectric properties of ZnTe under two-photon excitation”.

Bielefeld University’s “Studieren ab 15” programme enables particularly motivated and high-achieving high-school students to attend regular university courses alongside school, take examinations and earn credits towards a later degree. Keiser has taken this a step further: he is actively involved in experimental research in the group and now publishes his findings in an international journal.

Comment by Professor Dr Dmitry Turchinovich

“Prestigious awards such as the Best Student Paper Award usually go to experienced doctoral researchers. Farell received such an award while he was still at school. The subsequent publication of his article as first author confirms that the prize recognised a substantial piece of scientific work that can be of significant benefit to the wider research community.”

 

Original publication
Farell Keiser, Wentao Zhang, Dominik Johannesmann, Nicolas S. Beermann, Yuhao Meng, Hassan A. Hafez, Savio Fabretti, and Dmitry Turchinovich: Time-dependent terahertz dielectric function of ZnTe under two-photon optical excitation at 800 nm wavelength. Phys. Rev. B. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/myht-1qb7. First published on 14.10.2026.

Further information
• Bielefeld University’s “Studying at 15” programme
• Professor Dr Dmitry Turchinovich’s research group

Contact
Prof. Dr Dmitry Turchinovich, Bielefeld University
Faculty of Physics
Phone: +49 (521) 106 – 54 68
Email: dmtu@physik.uni-bielefeld.de

 

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Journal

Physical Review B

DOI

10.1103/myht-1qb7

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Time-dependent terahertz dielectric function of ZnTe under two-photon optical excitation at 800 nm wavelength.

Article Publication Date

14-Oct-2026