Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, namely eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. EPA and DHA have garnered widespread attention for their reputed health benefits in adults. Less appreciated, perhaps, are the benefits children reap from the regular consumption of fish oil.
Essentials
Alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, is an omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for human health. Presumably, ALA is converted to EPA and DHA in our cells, and the latter two fatty acids are then used in a variety of metabolic processes. Research has shown that the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is inefficient in humans, so supplementation with EPA and DHA is considered "conditionally essential" by many nutritionists, including experts at the DHA/EPA Omega-3 Institute.
Fetal Development
During the last trimester of pregnancy, DHA levels in the fetal brain and eye increase dramatically. This accrual of DHA continues at varying rates through at least the first two years of life, spiking during stages of rapid growth and development. DHA is critical for normal mammalian neurologic development, and insufficient DHA accrual has been linked to abnormalities in neurotransmitter levels, behavioral aberrations and visual deficits in animals. According to a 2006 article in "Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids," premature human infants who have had insufficient time to accumulate DHA in their central nervous systems often go on to develop cognitive deficits and problems with attention.
Early Life
Brain development is not static. It continues through adolescence and even beyond, but the first years of a child's life are the most crucial for establishing neural pathways that will mature later on. DHA plays a pivotal role in all phases of brain maturation, but children who are deprived of its benefits during fetal and early life are at higher risk for attention deficit disorder and other cognitive problems. Furthermore, they tend to have lower IQs and exhibit poorer academic performance -- findings that have been gleaned from studies on breastfed infants who receive DHA via their mothers' milk.
Other Benefits
In addition to enhancing neurologic development, essential fatty acids play the same roles in children that they do in adults. The production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins is dependent on sufficient supplies of EPA and DHA, and, according to a 2008 study in "Experimental Biology and Medicine," improving the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids by supplementing with fish oil may confer long-term protection from cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune disease and other inflammatory conditions.
References
- "Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids;" Role of omega-3 fatty acids in brain development and function: potential implications for the pathogenesis and prevention of psychopathology; McNamara R, Carlson S; 2006
- "Nursing Times;" Child Brain Development; Blows W; 2003
- "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, United States;" Moderation of breastfeeding effects on the IQ by genetic variation in fatty acid metabolism; Caspi A, et al.; 2007
- "Experimental Biology and Medicine;" The Importance of the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Diseases; Simopoulos A; 2008
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