We’ve been reading a lot about the importance of DHA as “brain food” for children and adults, alike, but what exactly is DHA?

DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid found naturally in foods like salmon, tuna and other coldwater fish, as well as flax and pumpkin seeds. Most children and toddlers’ diets (not to mention many adults’ diets) lack sufficient quantities of these foods, which is why trusted pediatrician Dr. Sears recommends adding a DHA supplement to your child’s diet.

When the body lacks essential Omega-3 fatty acids, the cells try to build “replacement fatty acids,” which are similar in function but may cause depression and Attention Deficit Disorder. A diet rich in DHA lowers the blood level of these replacement fatty acids and also of harmful fats such as cholesterol.

So how did DHA earn its reputation as “brain food?” According to Dr. Sears, DHA is the primary structural component of brain tissue, as well as an important part of the enzymes within cell membranes that allow the membranes to transport valuable nutrients in and out of the cells. DHA also affects the brain’s neurotransmitters, and helps brain cells communicate with each other more effectively. Simply put, a healthy brain is a smart brain!

A diet rich in DHA has been shown to improve focus, behavior and cognitive function, and even increase learning capacity in young children. Children who are more focused and can concentrate better also tend to remain in better moods longer — less tantrums and more time to play, study and learn!

DHA also helps vision development because the retina contains a high concentration of the fatty acid. Improved vision development also leads to greater learning capabilities, since the eyes are such important tools in education.

When the body has enough DHA, the brain can function at its highest capacity. This is especially important in infants and toddlers, because brains grow more rapidly in the first few years than at any other time of life. Evidence shows that the increased academic performance of breast-fed children is due, at least in part, to the DHA-rich diet breast milk provides. Breast milk contains DHA for growing infants, and most infant formula today is fortified with DHA. But toddlers don’t receive DHA from these sources, which is why a supplement is important. Dr. Sears offers a variety of vitamin products to insure that your child is getting enough of the crucial fatty acid.

Dr. Sears’ specially-developed Go Fish Brainy Kidz Omega-3 DHA natural fruit-based soft chews contain optimal levels of DHA for improved brain function. Each soft chew contains 100 mg of DHA and is certified by Safe Source ™ to be free of detectable levels of over 250 environmental contaminants, including mercury, heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs and pesticides. The pediatrician-developed, kid-approved, tasty vitamin supplements are all-natural and do not contain any high-fructose corn syrup.

I came across a recent blog article written from Michael Phelps mother, Deborah Phelp’s point of view. If you don’t know who Michael Phelp’s is, you should. He is currently in Beijing, representing U.S.A as a phenomenal swimmer. This 23 year-old athlete, is the world-record holder in the two events that include all four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. He won 8 medals in the 2004 summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, 6 of which were gold. The number of medals he won tied him with Alexander Dyatin as the most medal winner in a single Olympics. And that record happened to have been held since the 1980.

What’s amazing about Michael is that he was labeled a problem child of sorts in his youth. Often reprimanded by teachers for being disruptive, unable to focus, unable to concentrate, unable to stay quiet, he was put on Ritalin at a young age, a medicine he would have to take during lunch time. Two years later when Michael asked his Mom, who was also a teacher, to be taken off the medicine, she did the best thing a parent could do in her shoes. She listened to her instincts and her child.

Michael, the child who had been told he would never, ever be able to focus, became nationally ranked as a youth swimmer. At 11, his coach then, who is still his coach today, began outlining to Ms. Phelps his envisioned time line for the young athlete, the Olympics among them.

His story is really one that gives parents of children labeled with a chemical disorders such as ADD, ADHD, Hyperactivity, hope. The lesson I gleaned from reading Ms. Phelps story is that a parent can always set high standards for their child, even if others would like to set the bar low. And that with guidance, even your “problem child” can find what makes them tick, and ignites their passion.

Since the 1970s food additives have been under the radar of toxicologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and environmental/public health watchdog groups. In the last decade however, with what seems to be a growing set of diagnoses of hyperactivity and other childhood behavioral and diet-related disorders, interest in food additives has increased. So has the research.

Among the latest and most controversial studies, was a 2007 Southampton University done with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with three-year olds and eight- to nine-year-olds to test for indications of hyperactivity associated with specific food additives and food colorings. The additives and colorings tested were tetrazine (FD&C yellow no. 5/European food code E102); sunset yellow (FD&C yellow no. 6/E110); quinoline yellow (FD&C Yellow No. 10/E104); carmoisine (Food Red 3/E122); and ponceau 4R (Food Red 7/E124).

Researchers recruited 153 local three-year-olds and 144 children aged eight or nine for a six-week trial and assigned them to either of two groups. One group was given regular fruit juice without additives and the second group was given a similar looking and tasting drink that contained the above-mentioned additives. The drinks were assigned anonymously and in un-marked, sealed bottles.

The drinks with the additives were further split into two groups: Mix A and Mix B. Mix A contained the same amount of artificial colorings found in a two-ounce bag of candy or two small bags of commercial ?fruit snacks.? Mix B contained the equivalent of twice that amount. Both mixes contained the same levels sodium benzoate.

The children were assessed prior to the trial for evidence of hyperactivity. The first week of the trial all of the children followed their typical diets. The following weeks, parents were asked to remove from their children?s diets all sweets and drinks with additives were and to start using the trial drink in amounts equal to that of the foods/beverages removed from their usual diets. On the even numbered weeks Mix A, Mix B, and placebo were administered in a random sequence and was blinded to the child, the parents, the teachers and the researchers. On the odd-numbered weeks all children received the placebo. At the end of the study, the children were assessed again for hyperactivity.

According to a 2007 report by the Agence France-Presse, ?Mix A had a ?significantly adverse? effect on the three-year-olds, although Mix B made no difference on this group. In the older children, both Mix A and Mix B had a strong effect.

?Overall, children who took the mix moved about 10 percent closer to the definition of being hyperactive,? lead author Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at the university. ?We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and [sodium] benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children. However, parents should not think that simply taking these additives out of food will prevent all hyperactive disorders. We know that many other influences are at work, but this at least is one a child can avoid.??

This study was similar to a 2004 study presented in the June issue of the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, but seems to have produced more conclusive evidence for a correlation between artificial additives in food and childhood behavioral problems, leading researchers to conclude that artificial colors or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in three-year-old and eight- to nine-year-olds in the general population.

In part two, each of the food additives studied will be discussed.

For more information:

• Abstract of the 2007 Study
• 2004 Study