Children don't get enough omega-3

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, March 5 (UPI) -- Seventy-eight percent of the children in a study in Canada did not receive adequate amounts of omega-3 EPA and DHA in their diets, researchers said.

Researchers of the University of Guelph in Ontario found that the median daily consumption of omega-3 EPA and DHA was 31.5 mg, in a sample group of children ages 4-8.

The researchers used the suggested daily intake recommended by the Institute of Medicine which is 90 mg of omega-3 EPA/DHA per day. Even using this low recommendation level, the study shows that 78 percent of the children were well below the recommended level, the researchers said.

The study also notes that the recommendation by the American Dietitian Association and the Dietitians of Canada is 351 mg of EPA/DHA per day. Based on this recommendation 90 percent of the children were deficient in omega-3 EPA/DHA.

For infants up to the age of 3, DHA is essential for the development of the brain and eyes.

After age 3, both EPA and DHA are important for cognitive function and research suggests that it may improve behavior and learning disorders, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and developmental coordination disorder.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicates that in the United States the average consumption of omega-3 EPA/DHA for children ages 4-8 is 50 mg/day, the researchers noted.