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The best investment a parent can make to improve the child's IQ is DHA, omega 3 fatty acid. It is a key ingredient of a brain, and a typical diet is very defici

The best investment a parent can make to improve the child's IQ is DHA, omega 3 fatty acid. It is a key ingredient of a brain, and a typical diet is very deficient in DHA. http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-pregnancy-does-omega3-supplementation-during-pregnancy-prevent-postpartum-depression-improve-babys-brain-development.html http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-pregnancy-does-... Additionally, checkout the: http://www.omega3.org/ http://www.omega3.org/

gwern 14y ago
Most of the fish oil/IQ links I know tend to either be poor quality studies, show no effect, or show a fade-out... For example, > Supplementation of a mother’s diet during late pregnancy and 3 months postpartum with long-chained fatty acids has also been demonstrated to improve cognitive performance in human children (Helland et al. 2003). http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/111/1/e39.full http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/111/1/e39.full But to follow up: Helland et al 2008 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/2/e472.short http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/2/e472.sho... > CONCLUSION. This study suggests that maternal concentration of n-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy might be of importance for later cognitive function, such as sequential processing, although we observed no significant effect of n-3 fatty acid intervention on global IQs. Neonatal fatty acid status had no influence on BMI at 7 years of age. (One may not be surprised inasmuch as most efforts to boost IQ in kids like the Abecedarian project show fadeout.)
- rikelmens 14y ago
  I agree in regard of fish oil quality. That's why I use algae derived DHA supplements.
  - scott_s 14y ago
    He meant that the studies are of poor quality, not that the studies only used poor quality fish oil.
    - rikelmens 14y ago
      Yeah, you are right. And the second link I've posted is wrong, I meant to post this one: http://www.dhaomega3.org/ http://www.dhaomega3.org/

gwern 14y ago

Most of the fish oil/IQ links I know tend to either be poor quality studies, show no effect, or show a fade-out... For example, > Supplementation of a mother’s diet during late pregnancy and 3 months postpartum with long-chained fatty acids has also been demonstrated to improve cognitive performance in human children (Helland et al. 2003). http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/111/1/e39.full http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/111/1/e39.full But to follow up: Helland et al 2008 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/2/e472.short http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/2/e472.sho... > CONCLUSION. This study suggests that maternal concentration of n-3 very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy might be of importance for later cognitive function, such as sequential processing, although we observed no significant effect of n-3 fatty acid intervention on global IQs. Neonatal fatty acid status had no influence on BMI at 7 years of age. (One may not be surprised inasmuch as most efforts to boost IQ in kids like the Abecedarian project show fadeout.)

rikelmens 14y ago
I agree in regard of fish oil quality. That's why I use algae derived DHA supplements.
- scott_s 14y ago
  He meant that the studies are of poor quality, not that the studies only used poor quality fish oil.
  - rikelmens 14y ago
    Yeah, you are right. And the second link I've posted is wrong, I meant to post this one: http://www.dhaomega3.org/ http://www.dhaomega3.org/