DHA Needed for Children's Brain Growth, Focus, and Gut Health

Omega-3 DHA is an essential and incredibly vital nutrient for health. In recent years, its importance during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and infancy has been widely recognized and supported. This is great! But, does the need for DHA stop as your child grows and reaches maturity? Not at all! Daily intake of omega-3 DHA remains essential throughout life. Are you and the children in your life getting enough DHA?

What Is DHA?

DHA is the primary omega-3 fatty acid in the brain and is highly concentrated in key parts, including the frontal cortex and gray matter. DHA is an essential nutrient for normal growth, development, and function of the brain in childhood and beyond!

Clinical trials and studies demonstrate that DHA provides or supports brain and neurological health with: • Antioxidant and oxidative stress protection

• Balance and coordination

• Blood vessel functionality

• Calm and relaxed behaviors

• Cell signaling

• Cognitive reasoning and speed

• Development and function of hippocampus, hypothalamus, and cortex areas

• Dopamine and serotonin production and neurotransmission

• Focus and sustained attention

• Glucose uptake and metabolism

• Impulse control

• Intelligence

• Learning and comprehension

• Limbic system (emotional processing, mood, memory, social connectivity, etc.)

• Memory, short-term and long-term

• Mental alertness and reaction times

• Myelination of nerves and gray matter

• Nerve cell maturation

• Nerve cell membranes and electrical activity

• Oxygenation and blood flow in the brain

• Reading, spelling, and learning skills

• School attendance rate

• Supports social behavior

• Vision and retina development and protection

• Vision and near focus work, screen time protection

• Visual-spatial learning

DHA Benefits the Gut-Brain-HPA Connection

The impact of DHA on health reaches even farther than this impressive list on brain health. Ongoing research shows an extensive inter-relationship between DHA, gut health, the microbiome, and brain function. It has been found that when the gut microbiome is provided with dietary DHA, several regulatory roles are modified on the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis, inflammatory compounds, and neuroactive mediators. These centers regulate many things including stress tolerance and behavior.

Gut Microbiome and Metabolism

Another area of research focuses on DHA and gut microbiome with kids, healthy weight and metabolic activity. A recent small clinical trial in children ages 8-14 years demonstrated positive changes with DHA supplementation and the gut microbiome.

Results showed an improved ratio with the bacteria Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, depletion of non-beneficial flora, and an enrichment of beneficial commensal flora like Akkermansia. These ratios and changes are associated with healthy weight and increased metabolic activity.

Study results also showed decreased levels of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and nonbeneficial iNOS with modulation of several cytokines and other inflammatory compounds. Gut dysbiosis markers and microbiome remained improved even after the DHA supplementation was discontinued during the 8-month clinical trial.

Further research shows that DHA is essential for the metabolic activation of fat cells. DHA turns on normal fat burning mechanisms in brown adipose tissue in children and adults.

Mucosal Barrier Protection and Immune Function

Kids and adults need DHA to keep barrier integrity intact and to be the front-line defense between the environment and you. DHA supports the skin and respiratory tract barriers. It is also essential nutrient required for protection, repair and support of the intestinal lining barrier.

DHA as well as the omega-3 EPA are involved with immune function and modulation of both innate and adaptive immunity. These processes regulate short and long-term immune recognition and tolerance to foods, environment, germs, and other compounds that are encountered in life.   

DHA: Fish is the Best Source

DHA is an essential omega-3 long-chain fatty acid. It must be obtained in the diet. The primary, best source of omega-3 DHA is fatty fish. Fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, lake trout, and striped bass, etc. provide marine lipid oils which contain DHA and EPA and other oils.

Eight or more ounces of oily fish each week provides about 250 mg of omega-3s. At least two servings of fish a week are recommended for omega-3s in your diet. When was the last time your kids or grandkids had fresh, wild caught fish? Deep-fried fish sticks don’t count!

Plant-Sources of Omega 3

Plants do not contain DHA and EPA. They contain alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). The exception to this is microalgae. 

ALA-rich food sources include flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, canola oil, edamame, navy beans, cherimoya, avocados, roasted chicken, and zucchini. These oils, however, have a very poor conversion rate of 3.8% into omega-3 DHA and 6% for EPA. Furthermore, other nutrients necessary for this conversion are often lacking in the Western diet.

Vegan Diets Lack DHA

Families who adopt a plant-based diet are at high risk for several nutrient deficiencies including lack of DHA. Even supplementation of ALA, EPA, or other precursors do not provide enough DHA in the diet to improve levels.

Eat Fish or Supplement DHA: It’s That Essential

If fish isn’t on the menu at least twice or more a week and/or you want to optimize your child’s health and yours too, it is essential to supplement with omega-3 fish oils.

We offer DHA Kids as well as higher potency products Daily DHA and Leptinal for teens and adults.

Wellness Resources DHA Quality

Fish oil supplements are not created equal! Wellness Resources DHA is molecularly distilled, ensuring no heavy metals or mercury in the supplement. It is a modified fish oil that is very high in DHA and low in EPA.

Wellness Resources DHA fish oil is in the natural triglyceride form (TG). The TG form of fish oil is more bioavailable than ethyl esters (EE). The triglyceride form is easier for the body to digest and absorb. The triglyceride form is a more stable form of fish oil that will not oxidize in the capsule. This means no "fishy taste" or burping of fish oil and better DHA uptake into cells.

Many fish oil supplements on the market contain minimal amounts of DHA and require multiple capsules to reach a therapeutic amount. This is often a challenge for kids and adults. Wellness Resources DHA Kids and Daily DHA provide an excellent fish oil source in easy to swallow soft gels.

Wellness Resources DHA Kids Dosage is 1 soft gel up to 3 times per day.

Wellness Resources Daily DHA Dosage is 1-2 soft gels one to three times per day.

DHA Kids may be combined with Super Mini Multi and Coral Calcium for younger children. For teenagers and adults, use Daily DHA with Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin.  Coral Calcium may be taken by any age group.

Omega-3 oils are an essential nutrient for everyone – young and old. If your parents told you that fish is “brain food”, they were right. Are you getting your daily omega-3s?

Additional Resources

Why High-Quality DHA is So Important

Childhood Eyesight – Effects of Pandemic and Screen Time