(Press-News.org) In the first study to closely examine the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake among U.S. children under the age of 5, Sarah Keim, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, has found what might be a troubling deficit in the diet of many youngsters. The study, published online today by Maternal and Child Nutrition, used data on nearly 2500 children age 12 to 60 months from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
PUFAs are essential to human health. A proper ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs plays an important role in cell function, inflammation, eye development and neural functioning. However, the ideal dietary intake of PUFAs for young children is unclear. Knowing that infants often receive significant amounts of key PUFAs through breast milk and infant formula during the first year of life, Dr. Keim and her colleague, Amy Branum, PhD, MSPH, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decided to estimate the average intake of PUFAs in the diet for children between infancy and kindergarten.
"The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 intake was high—about 10. Some experts use this as an indicator of diet quality, with a high ratio being less healthy," says Dr. Keim. "In addition, intake of a key fatty acid known as DHA in children 12 to 60 months of age was low—lower than what infants generally consume—and it did not increase with age."
Dr. Keim's study was also the first to examine the primary dietary sources of PUFA intake among children under the age of 5 and to examine age, race and ethnicity in relation to fish intake in this age group. Fish are an excellent source of fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, and were shown to be the richest sources of PUFAs in children's diets.
"Only about 54 percent of children ate fish at least once in the previous month. Non-Hispanic black children were more likely than non-Hispanic white children to have eaten fish," says Dr. Keim. "Because diet can be an important contributor to many diseases, it's important to understand how such disparities might contribute to disease risk."
The swift physical and neurological development during this period of childhood may mean that variations in PUFA intake could have important implications for growth, she adds.
"This work could help inform dietary recommendations for children, and may be particularly important for the preterm population," Dr. Keim says. "We are currently carrying out a clinical trial to see if DHA supplementation when children are 1 year of age can help cognitive development in those born preterm."
At present, there is no official dietary recommendation in the U.S. for DHA and EPA intake or supplementation among children, although the Institute of Medicine has issued what they call a "reasonable intake" level of two 3-oz servings of fish per week for children. "According to our research, however, children are clearly not consuming this much fish," says Dr. Keim. In addition, the researchers found that overall intake of key fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, among U.S. children is only a fraction of what is regularly consumed by young children in certain other countries, including Canada. Other studies suggest that similarly low intakes exist in kids age 5 and older. By incorporating key omega-3 PUFAs into a child's diet at a very early age, Dr. Keim says, it may be more likely to become part of a lifelong diet.
Dr. Keim hopes her work will contribute to a more detailed understanding of the diets of young children in the U.S. and will motivate health professionals to start considering the specific nutritional needs of children for healthy growth and development. "We'd like to continue our work examining dietary patterns in very young children, since they are often excluded from dietary studies," she says.
Ideally, Dr. Keim says she would like to see families expose their children to a variety of fresh foods as soon as they are old enough to eat solids. "Dietary habits can form very early, so starting with a balanced diet may have long-lasting effects for children's health." According to Dr. Keim, this balanced diet should include fish and other good sources of healthy fatty acids.
### END
Diets low in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be a problem for youngsters
2013-09-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Immune to aging
2013-09-13
This news release is available in German.
While ageing remains an inevitable fact of life, Max Planck researchers have discovered a microbe that stays forever young by rejuvenating every time it reproduces. The findings, published in Current Biology, provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms of aging.
In general, even symmetrically dividing microbes do not split into two exactly identical halves. Detailed investigations revealed that there are mechanisms in place that ensure that one half receives older, often defective, cell material, whereas the other ...
Novelty of eco-friendly bamboo garments lures consumers -- if the price is right, Baylor study shows
2013-09-13
Consumers who plan to buy eco-friendly bamboo apparel are attracted if the price is right, but their next consideration is the novelty of the product, according to a new study by Baylor University researchers.
Bamboo has been championed by many as friendly to the environment, although the Federal Trade Commission issued a 2009 consumer alert noting that some pollutants are released in production from bamboo stalks.
When it comes to product consumption in general, consumers are influenced by emotion, price, functionality, social image and curiosity, said lead researcher ...
UNC research points to promising treatment for macular degeneration
2013-09-13
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have published new findings in the hunt for a better treatment for macular degeneration. In studies using mice, a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors proved highly effective at regressing the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease.
"We believe we may have found an optimized treatment for macular degeneration," said senior study author Sai Chavala, MD, director of the Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation and assistant professor of Ophthalmology ...
'Red nugget' galaxies were hiding in plain sight
2013-09-13
In 2005 the Hubble Space Telescope spotted unusually small galaxies densely packed with red stars in the distant, young universe. They were nicknamed "red nuggets," not only because they are small and red but also their existence challenged current theories of galaxy formation, making them precious in astronomers' eyes.
Since no "red nuggets" were seen nearby, astronomers wondered why they had disappeared over time. New research shows that they didn't disappear completely. In fact, they were simply hidden within the data of previous surveys.
Astronomers now realize ...
Sewage treatment removes widely used home and garden insecticides from wastewater
2013-09-13
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11)
202-872-6042
Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11)
202-872-6293
American Chemical Society
Sewage treatment removes widely used home and garden insecticides from wastewater
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 12, 2013 — Even though sewage treatment plants are not designed to remove tiny amounts of pesticides, they do an excellent job of dealing with the most widely used family of home and garden insecticides, scientists reported ...
Late-breaking press conference schedule
2013-09-13
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11)
202-872-6042
Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11)
202-872-6293
American Chemical Society
Late-breaking press conference schedule
This release includes special "late-breaking" press conferences. For the rest of the press conference schedule on EurekAlert!, please click here.
246th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition Sept. 8-12, 2013
Attend in Person in Indianapolis or Access Live Audio & ...
Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers due to less intense drinking
2013-09-13
Contact: Janne S. Tolstrup, Ph.D.
jst@si-folkesundhed.dk
45-3532-6438
University of Southern Denmark
Jonathan Howland, Ph.D., M.P.H, M.P.A.
jhowl@bu.edu
617-638-5158
Boston University School of Medicine
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers due to less intense drinking
While hangovers may be a source of humor, their effects can be debilitating, costly, and even dangerous.
A new study of hangovers across the lifespan has found that the tendency to experience hangovers decreases as age increases.
Study ...
Sober drinking knowledge often fails 'in the moment' of intoxication
2013-09-13
Contact: Denis M. McCarthy, Ph.D.
mccarthydm@missouri.edu
573-882-0426
University of Missouri
Mark B. Johnson, Ph.D.
mjohnson@PIRE.org
301-755-2700
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE)
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Sober drinking knowledge often fails 'in the moment' of intoxication
Approximately one-third of all fatal crashes each year in the U.S. involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
New research compares individuals' perceived dangerousness of driving after drinking while intoxicated with those perceptions while sober.
Results ...
Individuals with a dual diagnosis can benefit from 12-step programs too
2013-09-13
Contact: Brandon G. Bergman, Ph.D.
bgbergman@partners.org
617-643-7563
Massachusetts General Hospital
Christine Timko, Ph.D.
ctimko@stanford.edu
650-617-2746
Department of Veterans Affairs
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Individuals with a dual diagnosis can benefit from 12-step programs too
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can play an important role in addiction recovery.
A new study examines the suitability of 12-step organizations for young adults with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders, referred ...
Better verbal development during childhood linked to later drinking and intoxication
2013-09-13
Contact: Antti Latvala, Ph.D.
antti.latvala@helsinki.fi
358-9-19127224
University of Helsinki
Michael Windle, Ph.D.
e-mwindle@emory.edu
404-727-9868
Emory University
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Better verbal development during childhood linked to later drinking and intoxication
Previous research has found contradictory linkages among cognition, verbal skills, and later alcohol use.
A new study has found that better verbal development during childhood predicts more frequent drinking and intoxication during adolescence and young ...