Children, Adults Lack Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Diet

CHICAGOAdults and children around the world have been shown to have a nutritional gap of omega-3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) due to a low fish and seafood intake, according to data presented at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Expo in Chicago®.

There have been multiple studies showing that DHA and EPA can prevent or minimize effects of inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, improve cardiovascular health and limit effects of heart disease.

For children, adequate levels of DHA are critical for normal brain and nervous system development, said Alex Richardson Ph.D., senior research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, founder and director of the United Kingdom charity Food and Behavior (FAB) Research and author of the book "They are What You Feed Them."

"Physical risks to children from a nutritionally poor diet are now acknowledged, but the damage being done to their behavior, their learning abilities and mood is not," Richardson said.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that half of the fish consumed in the world today is cultivated on farms without diets that foster omega-3 nutrients, said Bruce J. Holub, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.

Average Americans consume 1.6 grams (g)  of omega-3 fatty acids, of which only 200 milligrams (mgs) are DHA or EPA. The American Heart Association recommends 500 mgs of DHA and EPA each day for healthy adults and 900 mgs a day for patients with coronary disease. One fatty fish or one omega-3 supplement is equal to that.

Richardson recommends 500 mgs of omega-3 a day for children and one gram a day for pregnant women.

"I applaud any attempts (to recommend and encourage supplements) in the diets of mothers and women of childbearing age," said Richardson. Its never too late" to address this issue, said Richardson.