You guessed it! If adults and foetus’ need omega 3’s you bet children and babies do too!
Babies can ascertain adequate amounts of omega 3’s for their development through breastmilk until around six months of age. Once you have begun introducing foods it is important to introduce omega 3 containing foods such as avocado’s, salmon, sardines, chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds. Babies and children need omega 3 for adequate brain functioning, just like a foetus and adult does. So much so, high levels of omega 3’s during pregnancy and lactation has correlated with better growth and development of the brain and visual system in children. If your child is given formula ensure formula supplies at least 0.35% of omega 3/DHA as this will improve brain development and mental performance of the baby. If a baby or child is not receiving enough omega 3 through breastmilk (this is why a mother must ensure she is consuming enough omega 3 on a daily basis) or through foods it can result in delayed cognitive development, development delays, poor behavioural performance and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Omega 3 is also required for adequate growth and development of a child and lack of can cause issues in the function and formation of the central nervous system and retina (eyes). Increased omega 3’s in children has also found a decrease in systolic blood pressure; which also exhibits cardiovascular health effects. Adequate omega 3 during the first year of life has also been linked with delays of allergy and protective effects against allergies in early childhood. Studies have also found that adequate levels of Omega 3’s improve listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, lecture capacity and improved behaviour. For your babies and children’s sake, get on top of those Omega 3’s; they’ll thank you later in life for it!
I hope you enjoyed this information, Stay healthy and happy, Balancedbeings x x
References Please note I have left them in link form so you can easily click and access the studies I used for this post.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5417803/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621042/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4968854/