Omega-3s may boost children's IQs

IQ: omega-3s boost intelligence, especially in children

Supplementing children's diets with fish oil, which is rich in Omega-3, could be an effective way to boost their IQ (intellectual quotient). This is shown by a meta-analysis published in PerspectivesonPsychological Science. The research team led by John Protzko, a researcher at New York University, found that supplementing with omega-3s, attending a quality daycare center, and reading interactively with parents help boost children's IQs.

Gathering data from the best studies conducted on children from birth to kindergarten age, researchers found that omega-3 supplementation produces a 3.5-point increase in IQ.

Iron and vitamin B1 - ineffective

Dr. Protzko's team also evaluated the effects of nutritional supplements normally recommended for pregnant women, new mothers and their children. The benefits on IQ from administering supplements containing iron, ascorbic acid, and vitamin B1 (which aids nervous system function and in which brewer's yeast and legumes are rich) were found to be zero or close to zero.

In both the woman and the unborn child 

The researchers found that supplementing as omega-3 EPA and DHA in both pregnant women's diets and follow-on milks for infants increases IQ by as much as 3.5 points. One plausible explanation, according to the researchers, is that the 'fatty acid contained in omega-3 provides children with the raw material, which the body cannot produce on its own, essential for the synthesis of nerve cell membrane elements.

Interactive reading and quality kindergartens

IQ increases by about 6 points also thanks to the kind of reading by parents that creates child involvement. Through attendance in a stimulating environment, such as a quality daycare center, IQ increases up to 7 points more. The authors' stated goal is to understand the nature of intelligence and to know whether it can be nurtured and how at each stage of human development. This study represents only a first step of that.

Source 

John Protzko, et al. How to Make a Young Child Smarter: Evidence From the Database of Raising Intelligence Perspectives on Psychological Science.

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