Omega 3s and Child Nutrition: Challenges and Solutions

How omega 3s function throughout childhood

We are having a great time at the Finished Products Europe/Vitafoods Expo here in Geneva. We’re meeting interesting people and learning a lot about all of the innovations happening in our industry.

If you are at the conference, don’t forget to stop by at our stand, #10030.

Today we will be giving an important seminar at 10:30 am. Sigal Tepper, the Health Division Scientific Director of the Maabarot Group (Anlit’s parent company) will be presenting a talk on the latest research and the importance of omega 3 fatty acids for children entitled: Putting It Into Practice: Omega 3s in Kids’ Nutrition.

Current research demonstrates that omega 3 fatty acids are imperative for proper brain functioning and development. According to WebMD, good sources of omega 3s are flax seeds, walnuts and cold-water oily fish like sardines and salmon.

The main omega 3 fatty acids are DHA and EPA. While DHA plays an important role in baby brain development, as children grown older, EPA starts to play a more dominant role.

But what happens if a child is not particularly fond of flax seeds and sardines? A British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) survey in 2013 revealed that more than 80% of respondents don’t eat two portions of oily fish on a weekly basis and 18% have never eaten fish. Avoidance of foods high in omega 3s can lead to deficiencies which can be traced to cognitive and motor issues in children.

This is why we have developed one of our latest products-- Omega 3 Focus, a delicious high EPA supplement designed specifically to appeal to finicky kids. You can learn more about the product here.

Ms. Tepper will present compelling research regarding these deficiencies and discuss their implications at her talk tomorrow. If you’re at the conference, don’t miss it!