Omega 3 Supplement For Children - An In Depth Analysis On What Works And What Doesn't

Omega 3's are essential not only for brain and heart health, but also for overall body health and well-being. A properly chosen omega 3 supplement for children can work wonders in their optimal growth and development. Find out the expert facts in this article.

All parents desire on optimal growth and development of their children. However, they wonder whether omega 3 supplement for children are safe and appropriate. The fact is that Omega 3 supplements for children are totally safe and effective provided a few guidelines and precautions are followed.

Whether for children or for adults; only those omega 3 supplements should be used, which are made up of pharmaceutical grade or molecularly distilled fish oil. Besides that, make sure that it is not sourced from fish in the Atlantic Ocean, as the level of mercury contamination is very high there.

You should be careful to check that Omega 3 supplements for children do not contain vitamin A; in case your child is already taking a multi vitamin supplement on a daily basis.

Health care experts recommend omega 3 supplements for children suffering from attention deficit disorder - that is accompanied with hyperactivity or without it. Research has shown that children with low levels of Omega 3s in their bloodstream have shown increased susceptibility to neurological conditions such as ADHD and ADD.

DHA is a type of omega 3 fatty acid that plays a very important role in the development and growth of young children. In fact, DHA constitutes about 30% of our brain mass! A lot of baby formula supplement brands contain DHA due to its importance in brain health.

If fish is not a part of the regular diet of your child, then an Omega 3 supplement for children would serve exceptionally well to make up for the omega 3 deficiency. Besides that, too much consumption of fish is also not advisable for young children as the effects of industrial pollution have contaminated the sea and ocean waters, resulting in mercury contamination in fish.

This risk of contamination can be avoided by using molecularly distilled fish oil products as omega 3 supplement for children. Molecular distillation is a process in which the impurities and toxins are removed from the fish oil, and the resultant purified oil is then encapsulated into supplements.

For young children, experts recommend to limit consumption of the same species of fish to upto four times a month and even lower for some fish species. For example, the Atlantic salmon should be avoided and is not recommended in the diet of children, as it poses the risk of contamination.

A properly chosen Omega 3 supplement for children serves an important role in the optimal development of their neurological and cardiovascular faculties. You can also find a lot of "low dose" specially formulated omega 3 supplements for children.

For adults, the recommended dosage varies from 2-5 grams per day, and for children it is around 300 mg per day if fish oil is used for Omega 3 supplementation. However, if you give your children flax seed oil as a means of omega 3 supplementation, then the recommended dosage is about 3000 mg.

To sum up, in an ideal Omega 3 supplement for children look for the following characteristics -- low dose, pharmaceutical grade, vitamin A free and molecularly distilled fish oil that is not sourced from fish in the Atlantic ocean.

A common problem that children face is regarding swallowing of fish oil capsules. If that is the case, then you can easily slice off the soft gel with a knife and squeeze out the fish oil contents into their favourite dishes such as yogurt, salads, etc. In this manner, you can provide them with the optimal omega 3 supplementation without the risk of side effects of toxins and contaminants.

by Vijay K Raisinghani