If fish isn’t already on your family’s grocery list, here’s another reason to add it: It could help your children sleep better and even help raise their IQ, according to a new University of Pennsylvania study.
The research, published in Scientific Reports last week, focused on 541 9-to-11-year-old children in China. They answered questionnaires about their fish consumption within the past month, and could answer with options like “at least once per week” or “never.” The children also took the Chinese equivalent of an IQ test. Researchers had parents answer a questionnaire regarding their children’s sleep habits.
Children who said they ate fish every week had higher corresponding IQ scores — 4.8 points higher — compared to those who ate fish rarely or not at all. Researchers found that fish consumption also was linked to fewer sleep disturbances, meaning better quality of sleep in general.
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to aid in heart disease and stroke prevention and could potentially protect against cancer. The body can’t produce these on its own and needs to get them from food. People can also get omega-3s from nuts, leafy vegetables and flax seeds, among other foods.
“We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behavior, so it’s not too surprising that fish is behind this,” study author and professor Adrian Raine said in a statement.
But fish aren’t necessarily a popular staple among picky, finicky children. How can parents get their kids interested in eating it?
“Introducing the taste early makes it more palatable,” study author Jennifer Pinto-Martin said in the same statement. “It really has to be a concerted effort, especially in a culture where fish is not as commonly served or smelled. Children are sensitive to smell. If they’re not used to it, they may shy away from it.” Pinto-Martin is the executive director of Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives and a professor.
Researchers suggest adding fish into the diet incrementally, and that even eating it once a week means a family is a “high” fish-eating group based on the study parameters.
The study received funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in addition to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
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Eating Fish Once a Week Linked to Better Sleep and Higher IQs in Children originally appeared on usnews.com
