Omega 3 Fish Oil (EPA/DHA) For Infants And Children Did you know that only a few years ago, omega 3 fish oil (EPA/DHA) was included as an ingredient in infant formulas in the United States? Children, especially in their first six years of life, gain tremendous benefit from adequate levels of pharmaceutical grade fish oil in their diets. There are many scientific studies stressing the benefit of DHA in the diet of infants, children and adults. The lack of enough omega 3 fish oil may be the cause a 5-point IQ difference between formula-fed babies and breast-fed babies. The brain needs lots of DHA and so does the retina. DHA is an important building block in the brain, which assists with the ability to learn, judge and concentrate. DHA also impacts the size of the brain. Medical study after medical study concludes that EPA and DHA are beneficial to brain and vision development and there are no adverse affects from taking the correct amount of pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Studies have also shown that children with low levels of Omega 3's may be more inclined to develop attention deficit disorder. DHA is taken from a pregnant woman's body and given to the fetus during pregnancy for optimal growth and development. If a pregnant woman does not have adequate amounts of DHA in her body, it will not only affect her health but the health of her unborn child. When a mother is breast-feeding, her DHA is transferred to the baby through breast milk. Low DHA levels in pregnant women and nursing mothers may be one of the major contributing factors to post partum depression, along with inadequate levels of natural progesterone after delivery. When many of us were children, our parents gave us cod liver oil. They gave us the cod liver oil to prevent rickets, which is caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Little did our parents know that the cod liver oil they gave us was helping our brains develop better and improving our vision. It should be noted that cod liver oil is not as good as pharmaceutical grade fish oil, because the pharmaceutical grade fish oil, available today, is molecularly distilled to rid the fish oil of mercury and PCB's that can be harmful, especially to children. Because of these harmful substances found in fish, we recommend eating a healthy diet of fish but not consuming too much because you may also be ingesting high levels of mercury and PCB's. However, consuming the correct dose of fish oil daily can benefit you greatly without any ill effects. The best way for an infant to receive their fish oil supplementation is for a nursing mother to take at least one teaspoon of fish oil liquid daily with one tablespoon preferred. If an infant is no longer breast-feeding or is not breast-feeding at all, the doses of pharmaceutical grade fish oil that are generally recommended for infants and children are listed below. (Doses have been calculated using CHI Ultra Pure fish oil liquid and capsules as references. Each teaspoon of CHI Ultra Pure fish oil liquid contains 2.7 GM of long chain Omega 3 fatty acids and each CHI Ultra Pure fish oil capsule contains 600mg of long chain Omega 3 fatty acids). Please note that 70mg/kg of weight is the recommended dose of fish oil for infants and children and remember that one kg equals 2.2 pounds. You should always consult your health care provider before beginning any supplementation or medication. AGE DOSE (Liquid) DOSE (Capsules) 1 week - 6 weeks old 1 ml/day N/A 6 weeks - 6 months old 2 ml/day N/A 6 months - 9 months old 3 ml/day N/A 9 months - 1 year old 4 ml/day N/A 1 year - 3 years old 5 ml/day (= 1 tsp.) N/A 3 years - 9 years old 1 tsp./day 4 caps/day 9 years - 12 years old 2 tsp./day 8 caps/day 12 years and up 1 tbsp./day 12 caps/day In non breast-feeding infants, you may choose to give the fish oil in the infant's formula. In toddler's and older children, you may choose to simply give them the fish oil via a measured dropper or you can put it in a delicious "Smoothie" made with protein powder, fruits and yes, a teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter, for good fat. If your child is old enough to swallow capsules, you may want to try the capsules. We have found however, that the liquid fish oil, when kept in the freezer after opening (the fish oil does not freeze) is much more palatable to digest than the capsules but everyone is different and you and your older children may prefer the fish oil capsules. All of the staff at California HealthSpan Institute (CHI) take at least one tablespoon of liquid fish oil daily and if we are traveling, we use the capsules instead of the liquid. Whatever your choice, liquid or capsules, taking pharmaceutical grade fish oil daily is essential for improved health and well being in all humans. If you would like to know if you have enough Omega 3's in your body, there is a blood test available called the AA/EPA ratio. An ideal AA/EPA ratio would be 1.5 with a ratio of 3 still thought of as okay. If you would like to have the AA/EPA ratio done you may contact Your Future Health (YFH) in Tavares, Florida (1-877-468-6934) and they will facilitate your lab draw in your home town. The more you and your children eat a hormonally correct diet, which means a moderate amount of healthy proteins, a moderate amount of healthy carbohydrates (found in fruits and vegetables) a moderate amount of good fats and take your fish oil, the better the chances are at maintaining weight, muscle mass, good brain function and good physical function in both children and adults. We truly are what we eat. The choice is yours. Currently, there are three brands of pharmaceutical grade fish oil available. They are Omega Rx from CHI or DrSears.com, Omega Brite and Performance Biomedical Laboratories fish oil. View the Omega 3 pediatric cost chart here.