Do You Supplement With Fish Oil? Kids Also Should Have Fish Oil In Their Diet.
For some time science has understood the health benefits of omega 3 essential fatty acids, and this now extends to our kids. Omega 3 fats should be an essential part of the diet of any child right from conception.
You find Omega 3 essential fatty acids in fish oil. Kids are just like adults. They have a minimum requirement for levels of omega 3 in their diet to ensure adequate development and health. The importance of omega 3 in children has now been underscored by the release of a study from the University of Wollongong’s School Of Health Sciences in Australia. In this study it was found that Australian children were hugely deficient in omega 3. Children in the US will be no different.
The study discovered that the average intake of Omega3 fats in children of 3 years was 47 milligrams which was described by the professor undertaking the study as “desperately low”.
There are 2 very important essential fatty acids found in fish oil called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). These are the fatty acids known as Omega 3. Kids in the US and Australia have way too little of these essential fats in their diet. This inadequate intake of omega 3 in children has health implications for the healthy development of our kids.
The study noted that the demands of omega 3 in children starts at conception and that brain development during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy required a high level of DHA to be available. Equally brain development during the first 2 years of infancy also required adequate levels of Omega3 fats. Kids need omega 3 for adequate brain development and do not have enough.
Children are unable to supplement their diets. This is a decision made by their parents. Parents ought seriously consider increasing their own intake of Omega3 fats as well as increasing the intake in their children of fish oil. Kids health depends upon the decisions made by their parents.
And it’s not just the brain development of our children that is negatively affected by a low intake of omega 3. Kids have a range of other developmental and health issues, all of which can benefit from increasing their intake of fish oil. Kids with inadequate levels of omega 3 have a higher risk of asthma, slower brain development, slower visual development, in some cases lower IQ and also an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as other health issues.
Clearly there are important children’s health issues at stake here. It is simple to increase the intake of omega 3 in children’s diets. Of course it is always possible to increase their intake of fish however fish is very expensive, is generally contaminated with mercury and is not well liked by children.
I supplement the diet of my own children with omega 3 fish oil capsules. When they were too young to take capsules it was a simple matter to cut the top off the capsules and pour that fish oil on their breakfast. They don’t even know fish oil is there.
Parents should be aware that the decisions they make about their children’s diet affects their children’s development. This includes establishing an adequate intake of essential fatty acids in their diet. This can safely, cost effectively and easily be achieved by the mother taking Omega 3 supplements during pregnancy and then adequate omega 3 supplementation in children during infancy and thereafter. Omega 3 supplementation by breastfeeding moms even increases the levels of DHA in mothers milk.
Not all fish oil capsules are the same quality and you need to understand that there are differences between them in the freshness of the fish oil used, the amount of DHA present in the capsules and the effectiveness of the essential fats.
To find out which Omega 3 capsules I give to my own children and take myself visit my website.