Maternal milk DHA content predicts cognitive performance in a sample of 28 nations

作者：Lassek William Day^*; Gaulin Steven J C

来源：Maternal and Child Nutrition, 2015, 11(4): 773-779.

DOI：10.1111/mcn.12060

• docosahexaenoic acid
• brain function
• child nutrition
• education
• childhood diet
• human milk

Convergent evidence from neuronal biology and hominin brain hypertrophy suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are a limiting resource for neural and cognitive development in Homo sapiens, and therefore that children from populations with higher omega-3 availability should display superior cognitive performance. Using multiple regression, we tested this prediction in a sample of 28 countries, with Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) math scores in 2009 as an index of cognitive performance, and country-specific breast milk levels of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as an index of omega-3 availability. Breast milk DHA makes a highly significant contribution to math scores (=0.462, P=0.006), greater in magnitude than the control variables of per capita Gross Domestic Product (PCGDP) and educational expenditures per pupil. Together, dietary fish (positively) and total fat (negatively) explain 61% of the variance in maternal milk DHA in a larger sample of 39 countries.

• 出版日期2015-10