Do Omega 3 Supplements Support Cognition In Children
One of the most well marketed supplements to give to children are omega 3 fatty acid supplements because of their links to supporting optimal cognition. Omega 3 fatty acid supplements are also very popular in terms of supporting cardiovascular health.
There is a lot of bad press around fats and our wellness. However maintaining a diet containing healthy fatty acids such as omega 3 is considered to be very important in supporting optimal wellness. A regular intake of omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA is recommended by international bodies. This is to support more optimal heart health in adults.
Fatty acids are recognised as being vital in the optimal development of a child. Especially the brain. Fatty acids are important structural components of both our bodies and the brain. The DHA omega 3 fatty acid content within the brain is particularly high. About 90% of polyunsaturated fatty acids within the brain are DHA.
Research has started to implicate omega 3 fatty acids with depression and also cognitive ability. With this high DHA omega 3 content within the brain you can see why there are links being made with cognition in developing children.
The evidence that omega 3 supplements could support optimal cognition in adolescents will be considered here to show why you may wish to consider giving an omega 3 supplement to your children.
Omega 3
If you have been to a wellness store or to a health supplement isle in a shop you will have heard of omega 3. Omega 3 refers to specific fatty acids. These are longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with examples being DHA and EPA.
DHA is the most abundant omega 3 fatty acid found in the brain. About 90% of polyunsaturated fatty acids within the brain are DHA. About 20% of the total fat content of the brain is DHA. DHA is very concentrated in the grey matter of the brain. DHA may encourage the development of the prefrontal lobes which is heavily linked with higher order cognitive ability.
Fatty acids are important structural components which make our cells and envelope them from the outside world. They are also very important parts of our brain or nerve cells. The brain has a big requirement of fatty acids such as omega 3 to support our daily functioning.
Studies support omega 3 fatty acids as being crucial in maintaining blood brain barrier integrity. Omega 3 fatty acids also support neurone growth and nerve cell membrane fluidity. Omega 3 fatty acids are thought to play a role in supporting healthy nerve myelination and also in reducing neuroinflammation. These are outcomes which are heavily linked to more optimal cognition. This has also led to omega 3 fatty acids being implicated in diseases or health outcomes such as depression.
Omega 3 Rich Foods And Why People Choose Supplements
You can find very high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in foods like fish and some oil seeds such as flax seeds or chia seeds. Fish such as salmon or sardines are rich in DHA. One very popular means of supporting our omega 3 fatty acid intake in children is through supplementation. Many parents do provide their children with omega 3 fatty acid supplements. The amounts of omega 3 fatty acids are controlled and are possibly more concentrated in omega 3 supplements.
Does Omega 3 Support Optimal Cognition In Children
Omega 3 and other fatty acids are certainly recognised as having important structural roles in the brain. This is why omega 3 fatty acids are linked with the support of more optimal cognition in both children and adults.
Omega 3 is considered to be very important in supporting the optimal development of the brain of a child. This is one reason why omega 3 supplements are thought to be so popular with parents.
DHA omega 3 is considered to be particularly important in supporting the development of the brain especially during rapid stages of growth. Pregnant women are also recommended by some organisations to consume 200mg DHA daily in support of the optimal development of a child.
Omega 3 And Information Processing In Children
There is a lot of research which has been done in terms of exploring the relations between omega 3 fatty acid supplements and brain health in children. While theory is an excellent basis the support of this with practical research is the best way to identify any clear benefits from supplementation in children.
Various studies show that omega 3 could support healthy cognition and cognitive health in children. One study showed that cognitive perception was improved in children who supplemented with an omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Healthy perception is important in the overall development of a child. Supplementation with DHA could support improvements in reaction times in children too according to other studies.
According to one study an improvement in omega 3 fatty acid intake may specifically influence visual information processing in children. Speed of word recognition is an important aspect of the cognitive learning process of a child and omega 3 fatty acids may influence this ability.
Some studies suggest that omega 3 fatty acids may be important during frontal lobe development at around 7 to 9 years old. This phase is important in supporting cognitive ability and learning. There is evidence that DHA supplementation could support brain activation and reading ability in this age group. DHA is of course an important component of grey matter and has been linked with prefrontal lobe development.
Omega 3 And Recall In Children
Another study found that word recall was improved with omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. The group of children taking DHA were able to recall or remember more than the group of children who did not take the omega 3 supplement. This is significant evidence suggesting there is a possible relation between omega 3 intake and support of more optimal cognition.
Other similar studies support this finding. They also suggest that verbal recall is possibly improved in children taking an omega 3 supplement. There are a couple of studies which support this finding when children have been supplemented with around 1 to 2 grams of omega 3 fatty acids a day. These studies are usually providing around 500mg of DHA and from 50mg to ย around 100mg or 200mg of EPA.
One review of multiple studies concluded that supplementation with a total combined dose of 450mg of DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids a day may improve cognition in young children. Research indicates that possible improvements may be more pronounced in younger children than in adults because of their relative developmental stage.
Visual pair matching ability was also shown to be improved in a study where children supplemented with omega 3. This provides further support of omega 3 supplementation in promoting more optimal cognition. Similar studies have found that numerical recall may also improve in children who have supplemented with omega 3.
Overall the research strongly suggests that omega 3 supplementation could possibly support aspects of the cognition of a child including word recall and reaction time.
Summary
Omega 3 supplements are among the most popular supplements to give to children. Various studies have linked omega 3 fatty acid intake with the support of healthy cognition in children.
Omega 3 fatty acids are considered to be very important in supporting the maintenance and development of our brains. They are crucial in the maintenance of the blood brain barrier and also neurone growth. This are core reasons why omega 3 fatty acids have been implicated in supporting the cognitive health of developing children. Studies have also implicated omega 3 fatty intake in health outcomes such as depression.
The research with omega 3 fatty acid supplementation provides strong and clear support that omega 3 fatty acids could possibly encourage more optimal cognition in children. Studies have found that children who supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids had improved cognitive perception. Other research shows that when children supplement with omega 3 fatty acids they could experience improvements in word and numerical recall. These are important aspects of cognitive ability.
Research at the moment indicates that supplementation with around 450mg of a combined DHA and EPA supplement could support more optimal cognition in children. Results are thought to be more significant in children because of the developmental stage of their brains.
Overall the studies available suggest that omega 3 supplements may possibly support improvements in the cognition of a child including word recall and reaction time. This is when omega 3 fatty acids are provided in the right quantity.
You can find more interesting articles below.
