New York, April 27 - Parents looking to boost their children's levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids could try giving them fortified juice as an alternative to fish, researchers said.
They found that orange juice fortified with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was able to raise blood levels of DHA in 31 children, aged four to 12, who drank it for six weeks.
"Fortifying juice with DHA is a realistic approach to helping children increase the amount of DHA in their diet," Keli M. Hawthorne. of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who headed the research team, said.
DHA is one of the essential fatty acids. The body does not synthesize it and it must be consumed through food. DHA is abundant in the brain and retina, and is believed to play an important role in early brain and eye development.
Fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel, are the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids. But not all children enjoy eating fish. So finding children-friendly alternatives is important, according to Hawthorne, who reported the findings in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
There are already a few juice brands on the market, and certain other foods -- such as eggs, cereal, bread and even chocolate -- that have added DHA.
Hawthorne said this is the first study to show how effective such foods may be at increasing children's blood levels of DHA.
The researchers used orange juice fortified with DHA derived from algae. They randomly assigned 31 children to drink juice containing either 50 milligrams (mg) or 100 mg of DHA every day for six weeks.
At the end of the study, children in both groups showed increases in their blood levels of DHA, on average.
The remaining question is whether those increases translate into health benefits.
"Although we are still not certain what the direct health benefits are in children," she said, "it is clear that most children do not meet the recommended guidelines for fish intake that would provide DHA."
The study was funded by the Coca-Cola Company, which provided the DHA-enriched orange juice.