Children’s DHA, Supplements and Brain Development : Brain Foods

Article by Steve Geysbeek

Have you ever asked yourself this question, “what’s DHA and what does it have to do with my child’s health?” Here is some information on what DHA is, some facts about what the body uses it for and tests and research concerning DHA reinforcement.

DHA ( docosahexaenoic acid ) is a long-chain omega-3 greasy acid that comes from fish oil. It’s the longest and most unsaturated of the omega-3 trans-acids and is considered physiologically necessary in the correct growth and development of the brain, nerve system and retina to support optimal cognitive function. DHA really accumulates in the brain our first couple years of life; no other omega fatty acid does this. When born DHA makes up about 93% of the omega-3 acids in the retina and 97% of the omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and increase as the brain develops during the first two years of life and after based on measures in the cerebral cortex up to eighteen years old. Basically; DHA=brain food.

When applying to the brain, DHA, often combined with EPA ( eicosapentaenoic acid ) in augmentation, is critical for correct brain function. It is present in high concentrations coating parts of the neural surfaces ( providing fluidity and permeability ) where it has been found to play a vital role in the capability of the brain to send and receive clear signals and therefore function correctly. Basically, if you think about the nerves as electric wires in the sense that they send electrical impulses and have a coating to keep the current within the wire and broadcasting smoothly; the coating on our nerves is made of a high content of omega-3 fatty acids most of which is DHA. Meaning the more DHA in your grey matter the better it can work.

What does this have to do with children’s health? In doing the analysis for this work I found there were many studies ( some of which can be found on dhaomega3.org ) that show a relationship between cognitive function, some behaviour issues, learning capability, memory, some reading disabilities, grades at college, visible acuity and levels of DHA in the brain. From the womb and beyond DHA plays an important role under development. Babies whose mas got at least 200-300mg of DHA each day when carrying the baby have been shown to have better visual acuity at sixteen and 30 weeks. Breast-feeding mas or babies who require formula can supplement with DHA food supplements and formulas that contain DHA

In Sweden a study was conducted of fifteen years old college children and found that those that consumed fish high in omega-3’s more than once per week had 15% higher grades than those who consumed fish less than once per week. Not only that, another study showed cumulative benefits from lengthened ingestion of DHA may eventually over time have positive effects on school performance. In this study a daily intake of 127mg of DHA+55mg of EPA, as gotten from fish oil, embedded in bread spread was given to 7-9 year olds over a six month period. The control group had less than 20% of that intake. The bolstered kids had improvement ( based primarily on the Hopkins verbal Learning Test ) in recognition by 9%, discrimination index improvement of 20% and the same with the spelling test. DHA even seems to have a positive effect on dyslexia; after taking 480mg of DHA+108mg of EPA+ a lower level of GLA ( gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid ) for twenty weeks the twelve year olds showed a 60 percent improvement on reading tests. It should be mentioned however this was an open-pilot trial. More studies are being done and need to be done but this is undeniably a fascinating beginning.

An inspiring study proved that a DHA / EPA mix given to autistic 5-17 year olds reduced their hyperactive symptoms. Studies are ongoing to find the best mix levels of DHA / EPA and dose to help these kids. Other issues such as ADHD may be due to metabolic differences in greasy acid metabolism, causing fatty acid profiles that are out of whack, including lower levels of DHA causing poor information transmission in nerves. Scientists are researching what combination of omega-3 and omega-6 supplementation could help with certain sides of ADHD behaviors.

The deal with DHA and even a DHA / EPA mix is that it’s been shown to be important for development health in youngsters and folks of all ages especially as we get older. All in all it is advised that children get at least 100-150mg of DHA from the food they eat. A technique to do that’s by providing a low contaminate fish a couple times every week, or tuna from a can. Be careful, a lot of fish contain mercury, pesticides, toxins and dioxins; raised levels are not good for anybody let alone youngsters.

If you choose a food supplement ensure you find a credible company that goes through severe standard quality testing, ideally a few QC tests and outside laboratory testing. Some corporations on the store shelves have been recalled due to unsafe levels of PCBs. You are looking for a pharmaceutical grade form of DHA, one which has gone thru filtration more than 2 times.

With so much going on in our kids’ lives and all the kick, it could be wise to give their brains some extra food. DHA and DHA / EPA combo are a way to give them the tools they need to be in a position to concentrate and use their minds to the very best of their capabilities. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fish low in contaminates or a food supplement are the best way to do that.

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