Monday, December 29, 2008

How to Get a Better Brain Development for Your Child

By Michael Byrd

When and how to get better brain development for your child is essential; many suggest the use of computer programs. Experts however believe that it should be done with timing. It is indeed useless if the child's brain development has actually closed.

It is always good to begin even before the baby is born up to the time of his or her third birthday. This is the most crucial period in the child's brain development and determines its ability to learn for the rest of their life.

Parents may find that it unusual to start even before their child is capable of reading, writing or reasoning, but research shows that such skills are developed way before a child reaches kindergarten age.

A current study published was in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology [Vol. 42: 174-181], where they observed 56 babies, who were as young as 5 days old, and enhanced their diets with omega 3 fish oil fatty acids with DHA.

The group that was given DHA definitely had a higher cognitive and motor skills and was able to beat the other group (who were not able to get fish oil supplements) based on the "Mental Development Index."

The doctors then made a conclusion that a dietary supply of fish oil with DHA at an early age is a major factor in determining improved performance and mental development among full term babies.

Rresearch on premature babies, that was published in the Clinics of Perinatology, . [Vol. 22(1):157-75], established that babies who are not born full term also benefit from fish oil. Those given omega 3 fatty acids with DHA as supplements definitely had improvement in their cognitive and visual development.

These are only a few of the several studies conducted which can give proof that the secret to a child's brain development is getting sufficient amounts of omega 3 with DHA.

DHA is a very abundant long-chain omega 3 in the brain tissue. Around 95% of these lipids are present during birth and grow to be part of the brain tissues while the baby is in the uterus and during the first year of life.

Expectant moms need to take in more fish and get fish oil supplements. This is good to give their baby's brain development a boost from the start and give them a good chance of having a more intelligent baby in the future.

After that, be sure that you breast-feed during the first year. High amounts of omega 3's can be found in breast milk.

A report was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it demonstrates that even small amounts of dietary fish oil with DHA helps in increasing breast milk content. [Vol. 40, 780-785]

The study on brain development influenced my wife to use fish oil during her pregnancy and nursing and also supplement the diet of our children with salmon oil while they were just six months old.

It was not difficult to give them the supplements. We extracted it from the capsule, placed it in a spoon and made them drink it. We are proud to say how people have observed them to be so smart and they have nice test scores to prove it.

However, the best part is they are happy and healthy children too. Give your kids fish oil and you will be happy you did.

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