Brighter, Brainier Babies with Healthy Fats
April 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under How to get Kids to Eat Great
By Christine Wood, M.D.
What parent doesn’t dream of having an intelligent baby and child? Are there things that a mother can provide in her diet and in her baby’s diet that may promote a smarter baby? Studies have shown that breastfed babies have higher IQ’s than those babies fed formula. One of the nutrients that has received attention in breast milk as having a role in improving infant brain development is a class of essential fatty acids (EFA) called, omega-3 fats. These beneficial fats are long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and two of them have been studied in infants: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). Contrary to popular belief, the body does need fat. It must be the right kind, though.
Let’s look at the adult brain compared to the fetal brain. The adult brain is about 2 percent of total body weight and uses 20 percent of total energy. The fetal brain is about 16 percent or more of body weight, uses about 70 percent of energy for growth. The brain is made of about 60 percent fat. The fats required for the nerves found in the brain are primarily DHA and ARA. Since breast milk is made of 40 to 50 percent fat, we see how Mother Nature built in the right components for brain development.
There is an infant brain growth spurt from the last trimester of pregnancy until about 18 months of age. DHA accumulates in the infant brain during this period at a rapid rate. The accumulation of this fat depends on the pregnant mother’s intake of this important nutrient in her diet. After the baby is born, if the mother is breastfeeding, the amount of DHA in breast milk will depend again on her dietary intake of this nutrient. DHA is found in the diet in high amounts in fatty fish (like tuna, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, herring, sardines) and in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, fish oil, and walnut oil. Unfortunately, there is growing concern that many of our fish today are contaminated with mercury which may be harmful to infant brain development. Studies have shown that mercury exposure in infants and young children can cause problems with attention, learning and behavior. (See “Fish Caution During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding” to learn more.)
Investigators are discovering the importance of different fats on infant brain development. How these fats affect attention, problem-solving ability, IQ, and visual function is the emphasis of recent research. Consider these studies:
- DHA appears to be important for visual development in premature infants.[i]
- A study from Australia showed that supplementation of infant formulas with a dietary omega-3 did improve visual function to the level of those found in breastfed infants.[ii]
- Another study showed that supplementation of formula with DHA and ARA from birth to 4 months of age resulted in higher problem-solving scores at 10 months of age.[iii]
- The improved intelligence and academic performance of breastfed babies compared to formula-fed babies may be partially explained by the increased DHA content of breast milk.
As you can see in the box Essential Fatty Acids: Benefits and Food Sources, there are many other studies on the role of essential fats in adult and childhood health.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should make sure you are including these fats in your diet. Look for food sources as listed in the box and be generous with the plant-based forms of this fat (nuts, oils, flaxseeds and beans). My recommendations are one tablespoon of flaxseed oil and a fish oil supplement with DHA and EPA. The total omega-3 as fish oil (DHA plus EPA) should total about one gram a day. I recommend both because the flaxseed oil has a component that converts into the ARA, which is also an important part of the essential fats for infant brain.
If your baby is formula-fed, you should note that most formulas now contain these essential fatty acids. The DHA and ARA have been recently approved for use in infant formulas in the United States. The British Nutrition Foundation and the Joint Expert Committee on Human Nutrition of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) have recommended that DHA and ARA be included in all infant formulas. Studies show particular benefits for premature babies for their brain development and visual acuity.
Infants and children can safely receive these essential fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and other food sources listed. Most children are not big fish eaters and so their intake of these essential fats can be very low, so supplementing their diet with these fats may be beneficial for their immune and cardiovascular system.
All in all, these fats are something that everyone should be receiving in some form as our diets of today have changed and generally contain a high level of fats that are not good for our bodies and not enough of these good essential fats. Starting infants even before they are born will help them start out right for life!
[i].Birch DG, Borch EE et al. Retinal development in very-low-birth-weight infants fed diets differing in omega-3 fatty acids. Invest Opthalmol Vis Sci. 1992;33:2365-2376.
[ii].Makrides M, Neumann MA, Gibson RA. Are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids essential nutrients in infancy? Lancet. 1995;345:1463-1468.
[iii].Willatts P, Forsyth JS et al. Effect of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in infant formula on problem solving at 10 months of age. Lancet. 1998;352:688-691.
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When I was pregnant with my oldest who is now 24, my grandmother said to me, “if you want a smart baby eat a lot of fish and beans.” She was right, he is one very intelligent young man.
Wish she were still around so I could tell her that science has finally caught up with her.
Cathy´s last blog ..Finding ‘The One’ – Should We Be More Practical?
Should have fed those to your ‘ex’ huh?