Omega 3 children: better cognitive functions thanks to fish oil, especially in females

Increasing the intake of Omega 3 while simultaneously decreasing dietary Omega-6 can improve cognitive abilities in children and adolescents, especially females. This was demonstrated by a study published in Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience, in which William Lassek from the University of Pittsburgh and Steven Gaulin from the University of California, Santa Barbara (USA), analyzed the effect of these fatty acids on children’s cognitive skills. The results indicate that typical Western diets, skewed in favor of Omega-6, could negatively affect learning.

Omega-3 and the brain

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an Omega-3 abundant in fatty marine fish, is a main component of nervous tissue structures and can constitute up to 10% of the dry weight of the human brain. The requirement for this nutrient is particularly high in women. During pregnancy, expectant mothers supply their babies with the DHA needed for brain development by drawing it from fat reserves accumulated in childhood. Moreover, several studies have shown a correlation between Omega-3 levels in the diets of pregnant women and in breast milk or formula, and the cognitive abilities of children. To deepen understanding of the role of these fatty acids in both sexes, Lassek and Gaulin evaluated the effect of a diet rich in Omega-3, focusing on potential differences in benefits between boys and girls.

The study

The research involved more than 4,000 American children aged 6 to 16 years: 2,253 boys and 2,309 girls. Each participant underwent tests to assess cognitive abilities both in mathematics and reading. Combined analysis of test results and the fatty acid content in the participants' diets revealed that the higher the amount of Omega-3 consumed, the better the test scores for both boys and girls. In girls, the positive effect of Omega-3 intake was twice as high as in boys. Conversely, in girls, the higher the amount of Omega-6 consumed through diet, the worse the learning test results. For females, an imbalanced ratio favoring Omega-6 over Omega-3 was associated with lower test scores.

Intelligence, a matter of fatty acids

Lassek and Gaulin concluded that in boys, increasing daily Omega-3 intake by 1 gram can improve test scores by 0.19 points. In girls, increasing daily Omega-3 intake by 1 gram can increase scores by 0.38 points. These results could help plan public health initiatives based on greater awareness of the benefits of Omega-3 intake and the disadvantages of excessive Omega-6 consumption.    

Source 

1. Lassek WD, Gaulin SJ, “Sex differences in the relationship of dietary Fatty acids to cognitive measures in american children”, Front Evol Neurosci. 2011;3:5. Epub 2011 Nov 2