Omega-3 supplements improve cognition, memory in children

Supplementing schoolchildren’s diets with omega-3 fatty acids may improve their learning and memory skills, according to a new study.

Annalien Dalton and colleagues note that omega-3 fatty acids, which modern diets are low in, are crucial for proper brain development and function. While most studies of the effects of omega-3 supplementation focus on infants (especially those born prematurely), the researchers point out that the brain continues to develop through the teenage years. “Therefore,” they say, “poor nutrition may affect the developing functions of the frontal lobes of the brain throughout childhood.”

To see if supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can improve the cognitive skills of children, Dalton and colleagues supplemented the diets of half of a group of children with an omega-3-rich fish-flour spread. The remainder of the 183 children, who ranged in age from seven to nine years, ate a spread containing no fish flour.

The researchers report that after six months, the children eating the fish-flour spread had significantly higher blood levels of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosahexaenoic acid). In addition, children in this group showed significant improvement compared to the unsupplemented group on tests of word recognition and word discrimination and did better than controls in spelling. They also showed improvements in other areas, although these did not reach significance. The results, the researchers say, indicate that DHA supplementation can result in improvements in learning and short-term memory.