Boost your child's brainpower



TAKING fish oil each day dramatically improves children's schoolwork and concentration, according to research. But with so many products on sale, how do you know which supplement to buy?

Patrick Holford, author of Optimum Nutrition for the Mind, says: "There are two main kinds of omega-3: DHA, which is vital in pregnancy and early infancy to help build the brain, and EPA which has proven more effective in children with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These are only found in fish oils.

"The brain and body also need omega-6 fats. The most powerful kind is called GLA, in which evening primrose oil and starflower oil are rich. An ideal brain-friendly formula should provide at least 100mg of DHA, slightly more EPA and 50mg of GLA. The optimum intake is probably double this."

Patrick Holford casts an eye over brand-name supplements on the shelves, to help you decide which one will best boost your child's brainpower in the classroom - and give you the best value for money.

Evidence of benefits

THERE is a mass of research demonstrating the benefits of fish oil on brains, hearts, joints and even skin. In the latest trial, Dr Madeleine Portwood, an educational psychologist at Durham local education authority, put 65 children aged 18-30 months on omega-3 fish oil and omega-6 evening primrose oil.

At the beginning, almost half were said to have "poor" or "very poor" behaviour. After taking the supplements, 90 per cent had improved - ranging from "moderate" to "good" behaviour. Concentration also improved.

Another Durham trial, in association with Oxford University, showed a 40 per cent improvement in reading and spelling skills within three months in older children. Studies from Middlesbrough and Cardiff found similar improvements in older children. Research at Manchester University in the summer also showed that fish oil can protect skin from the sun.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=75812006

How did they adminster the supplemant to the toddler?

I really think that is great info. My daughter is extremely smart- She has the interest to learn and ask so many questions.

I answer all her questions and then she asks why? I never give her the right answer she seeks. Or she knows that there is more to the answer then actaully said.

With children we don't do enough.

Mothers know a days don't take prenatal vitamins because they stink or cause naseau. I think this in itself is the cause of a lot of our childrens problems.

This is true I've seen this for a while now.

^ must have taken Fish oil as a child. lol.

You mean he currently takes fish oil.

No, but I should since it's healthy for you.

Maybe Whoa could help with this. I heard that too much fish oil in a persons diet that suffers from depression is bad.

Hmmm.

Not sure about it in regards to depression, but too much of anything always does more harm than good.

no don't do it, it's a trap! just playing.

i'm sorry for that outburst, it's just that, tom cruise says anything in pill form is the devil.

I know my mum takes those fish oil tablets which are way too big in my opinion. She does remain quite healthy though.

There are also liquid fish oil available, different flavours.



Higher doeses of around 3000mg a day are recommended for people with depression

When I was taking cod liver oil the other year I was typically getting 2800mg a day of EPA/DHA. I noticed lots of improvements after around 2 months.



Yeah i agree.

A few months ago there was a report on this 80 year old that had late stage lung cancer and was given weeks to live, he asked his friend what can he do, he was recommended that he should take omega 3 because it slows down tumor progression in his mice. He took * 23 * fish oil tablets a day. His tumor shrunk and has now been cancer free for 5 years, he still continues to take the omega 3 that may have saved him. I can find the story again if you like.

But for healthy people, anything around 1000-3000mg a day is fine

Oily fish makes 'babies brainier'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4631006.stm

Eating oily fish and seeds in pregnancy can boost children's future brain power and social skills, research suggests.
A study of 9,000 mothers and children suggested those who consumed less of the essential fatty acid Omega-3 had children with lower IQs.

These children also had poorer motor skills and hand-to-eye co-ordination, research in the Economist said.

A team from the National Institutes of Health in the US analysed data from a long-term study done in Avon, UK.

'Frightening data'

Looking at the effects of Omega-3 intake on 9,000 mothers and their children, the team found mothers with the lowest intake of the essential fatty acid had children with a verbal IQ six points lower than the average.

While those with the highest consumption of mackerel and sardines and other sources of Omega-3 had children, at age three-and-a-half, with the best measures of fine-motor performance, researchers said.

Low intake of the crucial fatty acid also appeared to lead to higher levels of social interactions - such as an inability to make friends.

Research leader Dr Joseph Hibbeln said "frightening data" showed 14% of 17-year-olds whose mother had eaten small quantities of Omega -3 during pregnancy demonstrated this sort of behaviour.

This compared with 8% of those born to the group with the highest intake, he said.

Dr Hibbeln said: "The findings of poor social development and poor motor control in children indicate that these children may be on a developmental trajectory towards lifelong disruptive and poorly-socialised behaviour as they grow up."

Professor Jean Golding of Bristol University set up the original research - the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children -15 years ago to look at the predisposition to disease.

She told the BBC: "The baby's brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids. It doesn't create its own fatty acids so it needs to be something that the mother will eat."

The new research also builds on earlier work in the US which suggests pregnant mothers will develop children with better language and communication skills if they regularly consume oily fish.

Nutritional expert Patrick Holford, director of the Brain Bio Centre, said Omega-3 was key to children's intelligence because the brain is formed of 60% fat - 30% of which is essential fats.

Successive studies have shown clear links between intelligence and consumption of this essential fatty acid, he added.

Seed option

"It's absolutely essential that pregnant women take in enough Omega-3 and that children in early infancy take in enough Omega-3."

The richest sources of Omega-3 are larger fish which eat other fish, but research shows that the larger the fish the more pollutants, such as mercury, they contain.

For this reason Mr Holford recommends women consume two portions of wild or organic salmon, trout or sardines weekly.

The Food Standards Agency says pregnant women should consume only one or two portions of oily fish a week.

Seeds such as flax, pumpkin and hemp are good sources of Omega-3 for vegetarians, but large quantities need to be consumed to gain the same effect.

This might translate to two tablespoons of seeds daily, Mr Holford said, but women can also use a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supplement.

I take fish oil for my depression, weight loss, and nice soft skin and healthy hair. I give fish oil to my autistic and non-verbal son -- he can now speak over 500 words and is doing sentences and learning to read.

That is fantastic. The benifits must really work. I am so proud of him.

Thanks 101

It helps prevent the screaming meemies too - he's much more able to control his behavior -- perhaps a good thing for ADD & ADHD kids?

Perhaps. I never thought of that.

I wonder if fish oil would help hair grow- you siad it makes yours grow right?

Because my little girls hair is so slow growing.