At What Age Is Fish Oil Used? What are the Benefits?

Fish oil is a very important supplement for children and its benefits are endless. In this article, at what age is fish oil used and what are the benefits of fish oil in children? We explained all the details you need to know with expert opinions!

At what age is fish oil used?

There are different opinions on when to take fish oil pills. In Japan, fish oil is started to be given to the baby while breastfeeding. Dr. Serdar Hakan Çiftçi says that most of the doctors start fish oil late because the complementary nutrients are not emphasized in detail while providing medical education in our country. His idea supports the way it is used in Japan.

So, when is fish oil given to babies ? Most of the doctors in our country say that because of the omega-3 fatty acids that babies need in breast milk and formula, children can start fish oil after 1 year of age. Dr. Halit Özkaya also does not recommend the use of fish oil for babies under 1 year old, as there is a risk of allergy.

Keep your pup away from these foods!

Why is fish oil important for children?

Why is the fish oil pill, which is said to be the most important supplementary nutrient that everyone should use regularly and continuously from birth to death, important? Child Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Halit Özkaya says that instead of fish oil medicine, it would be healthier for children to take this oil with fish consumption.

However, if your little one doesn’t like to eat oily fish, it’s a good idea to give them a daily supplement after getting their doctor’s approval. Fish oil has 4 medicinal properties:

• Anti-inflammatory: Anti-inflammatory
• Antioxidant: cleansing and regenerating
• Antitumoral: mass blocker
• Antiatherosclerotic: Prevents arteriosclerosis, narrowing and occlusions

Although there are opinions that people who consume fish twice a week do not need to use fish oil, DHA and EPA, which are omega-3 fatty acids, are negligible due to the fact that the fish in Turkey are warm sea fish. For this reason, fish oil support can be said to be mandatory for health.

Dr. Serdar Hakan Ciftci is in Japan;

• A dose of 0.9 g/day to the newborn baby with breast milk,
• 1.5 g/day for all children aged 3-5,
• 2.5 grams/day for women aged 50-70,
• 2.9 grams/day for men,
• 2.1 grams/day for pregnant women,
• He says that 2.5 grams/day fish oil pills are given to puerperants.

While the death rate from heart diseases is 50% in Turkey, this rate is 13% in Japan. Considering that the number of people living over the age of 100 is 300,000, you can understand the importance of fish oil consumption.

Benefits of fish oil in children

The benefits of fish oil for children are endless. Let’s list the important points you need to know:

• It contains high amounts of DHA, which helps the baby’s cognitive, motor and visual development in the first year after birth.
• Fish oil helps prevent problems such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in children by ensuring the healthy functioning of brain and nerve cells.
• It helps children’s mental development and increase their learning capacity.
• It helps maintain the integrity between brain cells and facilitates communication between neurons.
• Its regular use also has a positive effect on child psychology and stops the moodiness of the little ones.
• Since it is a rich source of vitamin D, it helps strengthen the bones and plays a vital role in maintaining the mineral density in the bones.
• It strengthens the immunity of children and protects them from cough, flu, cold and infectious diseases.
• It alleviates the symptoms of eczema, which is a common skin problem in children. 
• It contributes to height increase in children.
• Because of the low omega-3 fatty acids in children with autism, doctors recommend daily use of fish oil.
• The use of fish oil is also beneficial to prevent autism.

You may wonder how old fish oil is used . This,

Which is the best fish oil?

It is necessary to pay attention to the EPA and DHA ratios of the product, rather than the brand of fish oil. EPA, in terms of vascular and heart health; DHA is important for intelligence development, memory and eye health. Omega-3 supplements positively affect the development of intelligence with the DHA it contains.

In this vein, you may wonder which fish oil is the best for kids. As we just said, in fish oil, you should consider the content, not the brand. We can say that the most preferred ones are Ocean fish oil, EasyFish Oil children’s fish oil and Möller’s fish oil.

Does fish oil pill make you gain weight?

Because fish oil is an animal product, it contains calories. Using the specified amount of fish oil daily does not cause weight gain. However, arbitrarily consumed fish pills outside the specified amount make weight.

Child Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Barış İlhan states that if there is a deficiency in the child’s body, fish oil can increase appetite.

Fish oil products that have been tampered with can also cause weight gain. For this reason, it is best to use fish oil in the dose recommended by your doctor.

Does fish oil pill increase height?

Especially fish meat, and even the dark parts of the meat of some fish are perfect for increasing human height. The parts called black meat in these fish are among the foods that affect the growth of people the fastest.

In addition, omega-3 and omega-6 oils, which are fish oils, have a direct effect on metabolism, thanks to the fatty acids they contain.

What are the symptoms of fish oil allergy?

There is no harm in using fish oil correctly. However, consuming more than the dose prescribed by the doctor can cause side effects. Some children may develop allergy symptoms after consuming fish oil. If your child;

• Nausea,
• Vomiting,
• skin rash,
• Kanama,
• High fever,
• swelling of the face, tongue and lips,
• If you see symptoms like diarrhea, take your little lamb to the doctor. In addition, long-term use of fish oil can cause vitamin E deficiency.

In addition to these, it is also important to use the right fish oil, says Dr. Serdar Hakan Ciftci. Although there are fish oils produced from the livers of large fish such as whales, which are very cheap and harmful to health, the actual fish oil must be obtained from cold sea fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel.

To benefit from the benefits of fish oil; It is necessary to use a pill that is not contaminated with mercury, lead and other heavy metals. Oils of fish that have been exposed to harmful chemicals and mercury should never be consumed.