breastfed babies smarter due to omega 3's

[adam antichrist]

Please note that the type of omega 3 they are talking about is not found in plant sources, only in algae. Our bodies do convert some of the short chain omega 3's from flax etc (called ALA) into the longer chain molecules essential for brain and cellular health (DHA) but this conversion rate is not all that efficient. You are best to get an algal source of DHA (since consuming fish oil is completely unsustainable) and that will ensure you have enough DHA if you are nursing.


Supplementing Babies' Formula With DHA Boosts Cognitive Development (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164111.php)

Article Date: 16 Sep 2009 - 3:00 PDT

Research has shown that children who were breast fed as infants have superior cognitive skills compared to those fed infant formula, and it's thought that this is due to an essential fatty acid in breast milk called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Now a new study has found that babies fed formula supplemented with DHA have higher cognitive skills than babies fed regular formula

[Kenickie]

yep, and this is why i'm a genius.

thanks mom, i owe ya one!

[adam antichrist]

what about me? I found the damn article :lol:

[Kenickie]

but this isn't new knowledge. babies who are breast fed have higher iq, stronger immune systems, etc etc.

[hoodedclawjen]

algae is a plant though, right?

[Kenickie]

algae is a plant though, right?

no, it's a plant like edible substance.

actually, i thought algae was some sort of bacteria.

[hoodedclawjen]

its seaweeeeeeed or summik. i was breastfed. for like ages. apparently didn't do me much good in the noggin dept.

[Kenickie]

its seaweeeeeeed or summik. i was breastfed. for like ages. apparently didn't do me much good in the noggin dept.

i was breast fed for a little over a year...i think it helps. i didn't get sick that often as a child, haven't broken any bones...who knows how much of anything is really connected to things like this?

[adam antichrist]

algae is bacteria. What this study shows is that it is DHA that is assisting cognition because the babies on formula had the same response as those on breast milk

[Kenickie]

algae is bacteria. What this study shows is that it is DHA that is assisting cognition because the babies on formula had the same response as those on breast milk

but does DHA give all the other breast milk benefits?

[adam antichrist]

that's not the point. They have shown that it is likely that the reason that breast milk produces smarter babies is due to the DHA rather than eliminating DHA as a possibility if they found no difference in the unsupplemented formula results. What I'm saying is bumping up DHA intake while nursing will ensure that nursed babies get the full benefits since vegos may be low in DHA levels.

[hoodedclawjen]

i was breast fed for a little over a year...i think it helps. i didn't get sick that often as a child, haven't broken any bones...who knows how much of anything is really connected to things like this?

i was still stealing milk occasionally when my brother was born- when i was nearly 2 and 1/2. i had chronic ear nose and throat infections right through my childhood... plus allergies, asthma... i was a snotty little over-acheiver. i spose a lot of factors come into play. :)

[IrieMama]

This just proves breast is best.

[holnrew]

i was still stealing milk occasionally when my brother was born- when i was nearly 2 and 1/2. i had chronic ear nose and throat infections right through my childhood... plus allergies, asthma... i was a snotty little over-acheiver. i spose a lot of factors come into play. :)

I had glue ear, eczema and my immune system isn't particularly great...

I also think if you feed kids up to an age where they can still remember it, it can be psychologically damaging.

[SomebodyElse]

algae is bacteria. What this study shows is that it is DHA that is assisting cognition because the babies on formula had the same response as those on breast milk
No, algae are eukaryotes. Bacteria are prokaryotes. There is a species of aquatic organisms known as cyanobacteria that often gets mislabeled as algae though.

I have also read that our bodies cannot do the DHA conversion in the presence of too many Omega 6 fatty acids, not because of any inherent difficulty in converting plant sourced ALA. The ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids should be 1:4, but it's more like 1:16 for people eating a diet of processed foods.

[adam antichrist]

No, algae are eukaryotes. Bacteria are prokaryotes. .

oh ok, thanks.

[veggielove]

I took an algae based DHA supplement during pregnancy and breastfeeding (nursed almost 2 years.) My daughter is outrageously smart, she is 26 months and speaks in sentences, and even understands and speaks some spanish. So funny, yesterday I was putting some organic strawberries into her brown rice cereal and she said, "Look! Strawberries! Or "fresa" in Spanish!" LMAO! By the way, she now takes an algae based supplement herself - you can get it in liquid form very recently.

[hoodedclawjen]

I had glue ear, eczema and my immune system isn't particularly great...

I also think if you feed kids up to an age where they can still remember it, it can be psychologically damaging.

really? why would it be damaging? i love my mummy. i've seen her boobs loads over the years- they're just there... sometimes she'll go to the washroom naked or get dressed downstairs by the fire cos its warmer, or let me into the bathroom for a wee while she was in the bath, and stuff like that too. she's my mummy... i have loads warm feelings towards her and of being close and of shared beds and cuddles and i'm pretty sure that i'm not damaged by those, nor by memorable nutritional access to her breasts. i took baths with my little brother and saw him naked pretty regularly till i was about 5 or 6 too (by which point it got impractical cos we'd kick each other and there wasn't much room in the bath).... again... not damaged. :think:

[zoebird]

often, what people think and believe is simply that--there's no logical basis for it, no empircal evidence, not even any "valid" subjective evidence. sometimes, it's just an innate feeling (which may or may not be 'correct') and othertimes, and most commonly, it is based on their culture or deep seated, unspoken ideas from their culture (and/or subculture).

i know this to be true of myself quite frequently. :)

[animallover7249]

yep, and this is why i'm a genius.

thanks mom, i owe ya one!

No wonder I'm so smart. :nana:

[ket]

I thought these studies were inherently flawed because breastfeeders often come from high socioeconomic status families and have higher IQs to begin with?

[Earthling]

I thought these studies were inherently flawed because breastfeeders often come from high socioeconomic status families and have higher IQs to begin with?

Hmm. Whilst I agree there's a correlation between socioeconomic status and education, is IQ dependent on level of education?

[Kenickie]

I thought these studies were inherently flawed because breastfeeders often come from high socioeconomic status families and have higher IQs to begin with?

what? for some reason i would have thought the class to have the most breast feeders would be the lowest ones???

[ket]

^ you'd think that, but that hasn't been the case. People with higher education tend to be the ones that breastfeed. People who are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and who have the relative luxury of not going back to work are more likely to breastfeed (not to say all of these people do, or that poor people who work don't, or that women who work always are forced to go back to work) To be fair, I think that might be changing.

[Kenickie]

well, thanks mom again!

she comes from a wealthy well educated family, but when she had me she was living in poverty. so does it count?