Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Apart from hypoglycemia, intolerances and allergies, there is another nutritional factor that frequently interferes with a child's ability to cope with the demands of school. This concerns the possible deficiency in a child of what is termed 'essential fatty acids (EFAs). If a child does not get enough EFAs, the myelin sheath protecting the axons of billions of neurons may not be adequate. Recent research is showing that boys with ADD have EFA deficiencies (Stevens, L. et al, 1995:000-000) and similar deficiencies are possibly responsible for the symptoms of dyslexia. (Stordy & Nicholl, 2000:105).

There are two essential fatty acids - commonly referred to as Omega-3 (Alpha-linolenic Acid) and Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid) - that are indeed essential for life because they are vitally involved in the proper functioning of every cell, tissue and organ in the human body. The Omega-6 EFAs are distributed evenly in most tissues, but Omega-3 EFAs are concentrated in a few tissues including the brain. More specifically, a substance termed 'docosahexaenoic acid' (DHA), converted from Omega-3 EFAs, is the most abundant Omega-3 EFA in the brain. The brain has the greater percentage of fat than any other organ in the body - 20% of the dry weight of the brain makes up EFA. We are, in fact, all "fat heads"! (Stordy, 2000:83).

Like vitamins, EFAs cannot be produced by the body. They have to come from the food we eat. Omega-6 (LA) is found in seed oils sunflower, corn and sesame oils. Omega-3 (ALA) is found in cold water fish, such as salmon, tuna and trout, as well as dark leafy vegetables, and vegetable oils, such as flaxseed oil. The human body cannot make Omega-3 from Omega-6 and vice versa. Therefore, we need to get both from food and we also have to be able to metabolise the EFAs adequately. Remember here that food taken into the body is not ready for use. Food has to be metabolised. The term 'metabolism' comprises the whole series of transformations that food undergoes in order for the body to exploit it. Apart from these essential fatty acids, other substances are classified as essential, which the human body is unable to synthesise, and which must be absorbed by way of food. They include certain amino acids, inorganic elements and vitamins.

Thus, in spite of an adequate diet, some individuals are not able to convert EFAs into essential components (for example, DHA and EPA [ ]from Alpha-linolenic acid) and this may lead to behavioural, learning and health problems. To complicate matters further, it seems that consumption of foods with high levels of transfatty acids (as found in cooking oils, margarine, etc) blocks the production of DHA and EPA from the original food source.

In addition, the fact that our diets have deteriorated over the past years increases the possibility of EFA deficiency. Previously, animals hunted by man that were free-ranging and fed by grazing off natural veld, had much higher levels of Omega-3 EFA than domesticated animals. Today, much of our farmed meat supply (chicken, beef and pork) is fed on large amounts of corn and soybean meal that contain Omega-6 EFAs but little or no Omega-3 EFAs. This is the reason for the recent interest in free-range meats, and eggs from free-range chickens.

It has not yet been determined how much EFAs we should ingest every day. However, it seems that in the past, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the human diet was about 1:1. These days, the modern diet contains far more omega-6, from oils used in the preparation of foods as well as green, leafy vegetables and the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 has been calculated to be as high as 20:1. For this reason, it is important to consider a supplement of omega-3, preferably in the form of fish oil, for all children showing learning problems, but particularly those showing signs of a deficiency. These signs include dry hair, dry skin (often noticed as a "goosebump" rash on the upper arms and/or upper thighs), excessive thirst, frequent urination, problems with attention and so on. To promote the metabolism of these EFA's, it may also be wise to avoid foods prepared in heated oils and margarine. Margarine is oil that becomes hydrogenated through a heating process and which is transformed into a trans fatty acid. This can also impede the metabolism of EFAs.

To summarise, modern eating means that many children (and adults) are eating too much of some fats - the omega-6 fats and hydrogenated and trans fats - in manufactured and fried foods. They are not eating enough of the omega-3 EFAs that the brain needs to function properly. So not only are such individuals getting less of the good fats in their diet, they are also greatly diminishing the value of the good fats that they do consume. This can severely damage brain development and functioning. As A. Schmidt, author of Smart Fats wrote in response to several research studies published at the end of the twentieth century: "Our increasing knowledge of the way in which fat affects the brain ... may turn out to be one of the most important discoveries of the century" (Stordy, 2002:102).

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