TAG | Omega-3 doubly good for female brain power, but omega-6 makes girls dimmer |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Thursday, 03 July 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 2 Related storiesWilliam Lessek (University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and Steve Baulin (University of California, Santa Barbara) used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey was conducted in the United States on 4,000 children between the ages of six and sixteen years. Lessek and Baulin already knew that omega-3 (formally called n-3 fatty acids), which is found in cold water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines, is important for both men and women to develop intelligence while growing up as children. However, they wondered if omega-3 might be even more important for women because, besides helping to build strong brains, it also is transferred from pregnant mothers to their fetuses through body fat—also providing nutrients to grow strong brains in babies. As reported by New Scientist magazine (June 28-July 4, 2008), Lessek states, “The lower body fat is like a bank into which deposits are made during childhood and only withdrawn during pregnancy and nursing.” [New Scientist: “Omega-3s twice as important for girls as boys” (page 18)] By using the cognitive test scores provided by the NHANES, their results showed that omega-3 fatty acids is beneficial for both boys and girls in developing intelligence within their brains. The really important news announced by the two scientists is that omega-3 was found to be twice as important for girls as it is for boys. There is a down side, however--at least for girls. Please read on. |
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