What's The Best Child Dose of Omega Three Fatty Acids?

Let's face it! Omega-3 essential fatty acids can make an amazing difference in a child's growth and development. This is particularly true of a brain-building nutrient known as docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA for short. That's why it's important to determine the best child dose of omega three.

This healthy fat is the basic building block of the protective linings of cells in the retinas of the eyes and the brain. It makes up about 40 percent of all the polyunsaturated fat in a healthy brain and 60 percent of the polyunsaturated fat in the retinas. It forms a protective lining around eye and brain cells and, along with a nutrient known as phosphatidylserine, keeps cells from undergoing a process called apoptosis, which removes them as if they were injured.

This nutrient also helps nerve tissue absorb the vital amino acids glycine, choline, and taurine. It helps the eyes concentrate the blue pigment rhodopsin, which enables both fine vision and night vision.

Getting enough DHA makes a huge difference for a child starting even before birth. In one famous experiment, Dutch scientists measured the amount of this chemical in umbilical cord blood at birth for 300 children, and then followed their progress to age eight. Of course, the only way that umbilical cord blood contain this essential nutritional substance was that the mother consumed it (or her body made it from a kind of plant fat called ALA) while she was pregnant.

The children whose blood contained the most docosahexaenoic acid had better eye-hand coordination. They had more fluent speech. They learned how to play with a ball at an earlier age and they learned how to tie their shoes at an earlier age. They were less likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD. 

A pregnant woman's body can make docosahexaenoic acids from the alpha-linolenic acid in flaxseed oil and some other healthy plant oils, although at least 80% of the plant oil is lost in the process. The more estrogen in a woman's bloodstream, the more efficient this conversion process. It's just a lot better to get the docosahexaenoate from microalgae (which contain this n-3 fatty acid but not the anti-inflammatory substance called EPA) or from fish. 

Women who are pregnant are getting their healthy fatty acids for two and need up to 5,000 mg per day. It's a lot less expensive to use a high-quality fish oil rather than a high-quality microalgae, although either one will provide the needed nutrients, and fish oil will both build growing brains and fight inflammatory conditions.

Even after a child is born, however, omega-3's continue to do their work. Babies who get at least 350 mg of omega-3 per day in their formula begin to talk a few weeks earlier. Toddlers and kindergarten age children who get their omega-3 essentials are less likely to act out, lose focus, fuss, and fidget.

Up to 1,000 mg of omega-3 essential fatty acids per day is appropriate for children aged 1 to 8. You don't have to train your child to swallow capsules, however. The easy way to get the right dose is to measure it in fish-oil enriched gummy bears. It's natural to react with "eww" when you see mention of fish oil and gummy bears, but modern distillation processes take the fishiness out of the fish oil and let fruit flavors come through. Keep the process of getting needed nutrients fun and flavorful and the right dose will come naturally! 

Make no mistake about it! Determining the best child dose if omega three fatty acid isn't difficult once you have the right information.  If you'd like my well-researched recommendation for the quality supplement I, and my family, take, please visit my web site.