Building blocks of brilliance
The early years of your child's life are incredibly important for their future wellbeing and growth, one of the main reasons is that the brain undergoes rapid development from the time in the womb through early childhood.1 The first six years of life set the foundation for children's thinking, physical abilities, language skills, and social and emotional development.2
During these precious early years, the brain goes through a process called synapse pruning.3 At birth, a baby's brain has about 100 billion neurons (brain cells), 15% more than an adult's brain. Synapse is the point of contact between two brain cells. As the baby learns and grows, some brain connections strengthen based on experiences, while others fade away. Over time, weaker connections are removed, this allows reallocation of resources which enables the brain to develop stronger and more stable connections. In pruning, unnecessary connections are trimmed away to make the brain more efficient, healthy and adaptable. Synapse pruning mainly occurs in areas responsible for vision and hearing by the age of 4 to 6 years, while cognitive areas continue to blossom4,5. The first 8 years set the stage for future learning, health, and overall success in life1.
Factors that influence brain development
Numerous internal and environmental factors play roles in shaping your child's brain development. Internal factors such as microbiome and genes, while environmental factors encompass sensory and motor experiences, language and cognitive interactions, exposure to music, relationships with family and friends, lifestyle choices, physical activity and of course, diet6-9.
All nutrients including protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water, are important for brain growth and development. However, micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, choline, iodine, folate, B12, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have been identified specifically for cognitive development10. DHA being a major lipid in the brain, essential for normal brain function11.
DHA's role in cognitive function and emotional development
- DHA is essential for the functional development of the brain in infants12.
- Specific role of DHA in brain development
- DHA supports myelination (formation of an insulating layer around neurons that allows quick messaging13), and growth and differentiation (process of brain cells maturing and becoming specialized to carry out specific function14) of neurons15. Tissue content of the long chain, omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is important for myelination of the frontal parts of the brain11.
- DHA helps keep the brain flexible, which is essential for learning and memory skills15,16.
- The inclusion of DHA in the diet improves learning ability, whereas deficiencies of DHA are associated with deficits in learning12.
- DHA-rich parts of the brain are thought to be responsible for executive and higher-order cognitive activities such as planning, problem solving, and focused attention. Researchers report an association of the DHA-rich parts of brain with certain brain structures, where high-order cognitive function corresponds to a child’s social, emotional and behavioral development11.
Recommendations for DHA in children
Long chain PUFA such as arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are essential for normal brain function and development17. In accordance with the guidelines from ICMR-NIN, the recommended nutritional needs for children are outlined as follows18:
| Age (years) | Amount of EPA +DHA (mg/day)(Recommended dietary allowances) |
|---|---|
|
Age (years)
1 to 2 |
Amount of EPA +DHA (mg/day)(Recommended dietary allowances)
100 |
|
Age (years)
3 to 18 |
Amount of EPA +DHA (mg/day)(Recommended dietary allowances)
250 |
NANGROW™ is a source of balanced blend of essential nutrients, with 13.4 mg of DHA in every serving. It is a creamy, vanilla-flavored milk drink tailored for growing children and is scientifically formulated to help support brain and cognitive development.
References:
1. Early Brain Development and Health [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2023 [cited 2024 Mar 27]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/early-brain-development.html#:~:text=Although%20the%20brain%20continues%20to,Exposure%20to%20toxins%20or%20infections
2. Conte E, Cavioni V, Ornaghi V, Agliati A, Gandellini S, Santos MF, Santos AC, Simões C, Grazzani I. Supporting preschoolers’ mental health and academic learning through the PROMEHS program: a training study. Children. 2023 Jun 16;10(6):1070.
3. Grigorenko EL. Brain Development: The Effect of Interventions on Children and Adolescents. In: Bundy DAP, Silva Nd, Horton S, et al., editors. Child and Adolescent Health and Development. 3rd edition. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2017 Nov 20. Chapter 10. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525261/ doi: 10.1596/978-1-4648-0423-6_ch10
4. Sakai J. How synaptic pruning shapes neural wiring during development and, possibly, in disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020 Jul 14;117(28):16096-9.
5. Tierney AL, Nelson III CA. Brain development and the role of experience in the early years. Zero to three. 2009 Nov 11;30(2):9.
6. Kolb B. Overview of Factors Influencing Brain Development. InThe Neurobiology of Brain and Behavioral Development 2018 Jan 1 (pp. 51-79). Academic Press.
7. De Fano A, Leshem R, Ben-Soussan TD. Creating an internal environment of cognitive and psycho-emotional well-being through an external movement-based environment: an overview of Quadrato Motor Training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019 Jun;16(12):2160.
8. Taki Y, Kawashima R. Brain development in childhood. The open neuroimaging journal. 2012;6:103.
9. Jirout J, LoCasale-Crouch J, Turnbull K, Gu Y, Cubides M, Garzione S, Evans TM, Weltman AL, Kranz S. How lifestyle factors affect cognitive and executive function and the ability to learn in children. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 20;11(8):1953.
10. Roberts M, Tolar-Peterson T, Reynolds A, Wall C, Reeder N, Rico Mendez G. The effects of nutritional interventions on the cognitive development of preschool-age children: A systematic review. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 26;14(3):532.
11. Kuratko CN, Barrett EC, Nelson EB, Salem N Jr. The relationship of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with learning and behavior in healthy children: a review. Nutrients. 2013 Jul 19;5(7):2777-810. doi: 10.3390/nu5072777. PMID: 23877090; PMCID: PMC3738999
12. Horrocks LA, Yeo YK. Health benefits of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Pharmacol Res. 1999 Sep;40(3):211-25. doi: 10.1006/phrs.1999.0495. PMID: 10479465.
13. Myelin: Medlineplus medical encyclopedia [Internet]. U.S. National Library of Medicine; [cited 2024 Apr 11]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002261.htm
14. Zorina Y, Iyengar R, Bromberg KD. Effectors of Gαo. InHandbook of Cell Signaling 2010 Jan 1 (pp. 1655-1663). Academic Press.
15. Garg P, Pejaver RK, Sukhija M, Ahuja A. Role of DHA, ARA, & phospholipids in brain development: An Indian perspective. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 2017 Dec 1;5(4):155-62.
16. Mateos-Aparicio P, Rodríguez-Moreno A. The impact of studying brain plasticity. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience. 2019 Feb 27;13:66.
17. Abedi E, Sahari MA. Long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acid sources and evaluation of their nutritional and functional properties. Food science & nutrition. 2014 Sep;2(5):443-63.
18. ICMR, 2020 (Recommended Dietary Allowance for children aged 6-12 months & 1-3 years; NIN-ICMR 2020).
