Dr. Neil Levin
Chiropractor practicing in East Northport, NY
(631) 651-2929 

OMEGA-3 AND HIGHER INFANT I.Q. 

Am J Clin Nutr.  2007 Jun;85(6):1572-7

Maternal consumption of a docosahexaenoic acid-containing functional food during pregnancy: benefit for infant performance on problem-solving but not on recognition memory tasks at age 9 months.

Judge MP, Harel O, Lammi-Keefe CJ.

Doctor Levin’s comment:

This is the reason that I recommend pharmecuetical grade fish oil to all of my pregnant patients.  The DHA is so important to the growing fetus.  It helps in terms of neural and visual development.  In children it has been shown to be beneficial for mood.  Several studies have shown that children of mothers who consumed higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids had higher IQs and better visual acuity. 

Once your child is born, continue to take pharmaceutical grade fish oil so that your breast milk is rich in DHA if you’re breast feeding. If you are not breastfeeding use a formula that is enriched with DHA. This will ensure that your baby has plenty of the crucial omega 3 fat for continued neural development. 

When your child stops breast feeding you will want to switch them to a chewable, flavored fish oil capsule. My kids love Purity’s I.Q. Essentials. It’s got a great orange flavor and they get one for each year of life. My 4 year old gets 4, my 7 year old gets 7. They’re not allowed out of the house in the morning until they take their fish oil. 

By age 5 they can switch over to an adult fish oil; however, usually the capsules are too big for them to swallow. Let them continue to take the I.Q. Essentials as long as they like. 

The importance of Omega-3’s doesn’t end at childhood.  They offer wonderful protection against loss of cognitive abilities that can occur as we age, and seem to show excellent benefits for mood, cardiovascular health, protection from heart attack, improved triglyceride levels, healthy skin, joint flexibility, inflammation control and more. 

In fact, a recent study showed that healthy adults who consumed higher levels of Omega-3’s had more grey matter in their brains in 3 key mood regulation areas. If I could take only one nutrient, it would be Omega-3. 

Purity Products OmegaBerry is my favorite fish oil.  It couples the powerful benefits of pharmaceutical grade fish oil with powerful antioxidant berry extracts from: blueberries, bilberries, pomegranates, cranberries, grape extract and others, and without the GI distress some other products can cause.   Just 2 capsules deliver a therapeutic dose of 1150 mgs of EPA and DHA along with the antioxidant benefits of berries.   I personally take 4 per day.

Dr. Neil Levin
Chiropractor practicing in East Northport, NY
(631) 651-2929