FLAXSEED AND KIDS
Q: Should I give
my child flaxseed?
A: Yes.
Q: How much?
A: One to two years - 1 teaspoon a day
Two to three years - 2 teaspoons a day
Three and up - 1 tablespoon a day
Generally, children receive adequate amounts of the omega-6 fatty acids, but their diets are woefully lacking in omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the parent compound of all omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid.
The omega-6 fatty acids are distributed evenly in most tissues, but omega-3 fatty acids are concentrated in a few tissues including the brain! 2 Learning specialists now believe omega-3 fatty acid deficiency is associated with childhood behavioral problems.
The evidence is becoming more and more persuasive:
In 1981, researchers first hypothesized that children with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have reduced nutritional status of essential fatty acids because they showed greater thirst (a symptom of essential fatty acid deficiency) compared to children without ADHD.
These results were further confirmed in 1983. When essential fatty acids were examined in 23 maladjusted children and 20 normal children; essential fatty acid blood levels in poorly behaved children were significantly lower.
In 1987, researchers further documented that 48 children with ADHD reported significantly greater thirst, more frequent urination, and more health and learning problems than children without ADHD. Significantly lower levels of two omega-6 fatty acids and one omega-3 fatty acid were found in the children with ADHD symptoms.
In a 1995 study comparing plasma essential fatty acid levels in 53 boys with ADHD to a control group of 43 boys without ADHD, researchers found significantly lower levels of EPA and DHA (two key omega-3 fatty acids synthesized from alphalinolenic acid contained in flax).
In 1996, Laura J. Stevens, of the Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, and co-investigators published an extremely important paper in Physiology & Behavior. The researchers found that boys with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood showed more problems with behavior, learning, and health than those with higher levels of total omega-3 fatty acids.
ADHD children also tend to have more allergies, eczema, asthma, headaches, stomachaches, ear infections and dry skin than non-ADHDyoungsters, note Donald Rudin, M.D. and Clara Felix. (Rudin received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and from 1957 to 1980 served as the director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Philadelphia. Felix received her B.S. in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley. Together, they authored Omega-3 Oils: A Practical Guide.) Rudin and Felix claim that behavioral problems, including ADHD, have arisen because our modern diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids.
How Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help ADHD Children
All cells throughout the human body are enveloped by membranes composed chiefly of essential fatty acids in the form of phospholipids, notes Michael Murray, N.D. Phospholipids play a major role in determining the integrity and fluidity of cell membranes. What determines the type of phospholipid in the cell membrane is the type of fat consumed. Unfortunately, our childrens diets, which are filled with fast foods and prepackaged meals, contain high amounts of saturated, polyunsaturated and trans fatty acids from beef, dairy, corn and other hydrogenated oils. These interfere with the optimal balance of phospholipids in cell membranes.
A phospholipid composed of a saturated fat or trans-fatty acid differs considerably in structure from a phospholipid composed of an essential fatty acid, notes Dr. Murray. In addition, there are differences between the structure of an omega-3 oil composed membrane and an omega-6 composed membrane.
Up to 80 percent of the fatty acids in the cerebral cortex of the brain should be composed of omega-3 fatty acids. It is thought the cell is programmed to selectively incorporate the different fatty acids it needs to maintain optimal function. In actuality, what becomes incorporated into the cell membranes is determined primarily by diet. The American diet, composed of largely saturated fat, animal fatty acids, cholesterol, and trans-fatty acids, causes membranes to become less fluid compared to the membranes of a child consuming optimal levels of both essential fatty acids.
"A relative deficiency of essential fatty acids in cellular membranes makes it virtually impossible for the cell membrane to perform its vital functions," says Dr. Murray. Because the brain is the richest source of phospholipids in the human body and accurate nerve cell function is critically dependent on proper membrane fluidity, it only makes sense that alterations in membrane fluidity could dramatically impact behavior, mood, and mental function, he adds.
In addition studies have shown the biophysical properties, including fluidity of synaptic membranes directly influences neurotransmitter synthesis, signal transduction, uptake of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and neurotransmitter binding. All of these factors have been implicated in depression and other psychological disturbances in children.
Flaxseed may be used in baking (e.g., muffins and bread), salad dressings and many other tasty dishes. Children love fruit smoothies and won't even know that you have added a tablespoon or two of flaxseed.
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