Do You Have Children? Fish Oil Should Feature Prominently In Their Diet.
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For some years now science has understood the health benefits of omega 3 essential fatty acids. It is now clearly established that these benefits are equally important for the health of our children. Omega 3 fatty acids are just as important in the diet of our kids, or even more so, than in the diet of adults. And this requirement for omega 3 fats begins at conception.
Omega 3 essential fatty acids are primarily found in fish oil. Kids, like adults, have a minimum requirement for levels of omega 3 essential fats in their bodies for proper and healthy development. This has now been emphasised by a new study from the University of Wollongong’s School Of Health Sciences in Australia which has concluded that Australian children are highly deficient in omega 3. Children in America and the rest of the developed world will be the same.
In this study it was found that 3 year old children had an average intake of omega 3 essential fats of 47 milligrams and the professor who undertook the study described this intake as “desperately low”.
The 2 essential fatty acids that are commonly found in fish oil are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). And it is well known that the levels of these essential fatty acids in adults in the US are way too low. This now applies to kids. Omega 3 levels in our children are also way too low and there are a range of health implications from this.
A child’s requirement for omega 3 fats starts right at conception. The study noted that brain development was extremely fast during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and that for adequate brain development an adequate level of DHA was essential. And it also noted that the first 2 years of infancy was equally important for brain development and placed an equal demand on DHA levels.
A child cannot supplement its diet own with omega 3. Children have these decisions made for them by their parents. Parents should consider increasing their own intake of fish oil as well as increasing the amount of fish oil in children’s diets because their own health and the health of their kids depends on it.
And the development of a child’s brain is not the only health issue negatively impacted by inadequate levels of Omega 3. Kids have a wide range of health issues many of which can benefit from increasing their intake of fish oil. Kids with levels of omega 3 that are too low exhibit an increased risk of asthma, lower IQ as established on IQ tests, poor visual development, slower brain development and an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to name a few.
Clearly there are serious issues involved when considering the supplementation of omega 3 in children. This can be achieved by increasing their intake of fish however there are various issues associated with this including mercury contamination, the price of fish and the well known dislike of fish by children.
In fact I supplement the diet of my own children with omega 3 fish oil capsules. If children are too young to take capsules it is a simple matter to cut the top off and pour the fish oil onto their breakfast. Children are not even aware that the fish oil is there.
The decisions of parents about what their children eat are important ones affecting the development of their children. Omega 3 supplementation is cost effective and simple and is important right from the conception of the child. Even during breastfeeding omega 3 supplementation by mothers increases the amount of DHA available to the infant in the breastmilk.
However not all Omega 3 capsules are as good as others. There are many issues relating to the quantity of DHA present in the capsules, the freshness of the fish oil used, (fish oil oxidizes quickly) and the effectiveness of the fatty acids.
On my website I seek to educate my readers about how to compare the different fish oil supplements available and to tell them which omega 3 supplements I have chosen for myself and my children. Find out more joint pain remedies.
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