According to new research, highlighting the potential importance of diet for social development, children who regularly eat fish tend to show more shared, friendly and altruistic behavior.
A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that children with the lowest consumption of seafood at that age and two years later were less likely to show “prosocial” behaviors at that age and two years later than more frequent fish.
The link between fish consumption and behavioral development adds a new dimension to the ongoing dialogue about child nutrition, which goes beyond more common indicators of physical growth and cognitive development.
“It’s hard to know what the best action is when a conflicting suggestion is made,” said Dr. Caroline Taylor, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Bristol. “The evidence we link the best behavior development of children’s fish consumption is clear, and we strongly recommend that parents provide at least two portions of fish per week according to NHS guidelines.”
The researchers analyzed data from 5,969 participants in the long-running “Children of the 90s” study, which has been tracking individuals born in southwestern England in the early 1990s. Parents completed questionnaires about their children’s behavior at the age of 7 and 9, and also provided information on eating habits.
Notably, the study found that nearly all children in the sample consumed less than two portions of the weekly fish that the NHS drafted included at least one serving of fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel. This broad deficiency may be attributed in part to previous public health messaging, highlighting concerns about potential pollutants in fish, including Mercury.
The research team controls for a variety of social and demographic factors that may affect the outcome, helping to isolate the relationship between seafood consumption and behavior. Although the study found a link to prosocial behavior, the researchers found no association between fish intake at age 7 and IQ scores.
Seafood is rich in nutrients considered important for brain development, including omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and iodine. Additionally, regular fish consumption may be a sign of overall healthy eating patterns and lifestyle choices.
These findings are at a growing emphasis on the importance of prosocial behaviors (friendly interaction, sharing and altruism), which usually begins to emerge between the ages of 1 and 2 years old, becoming more complex as children develop.
“Encouraging prosocial behavior is crucial to a well-functioning society, emphasizing the importance of early life development and the role of good nutrition in childhood,” the researchers noted in the paper.
The study is based on previous studies conducted by the same team that found the positive effects of maternal consumption during pregnancy on child development. Overall evidence suggests that fish intake is beneficial both prenatal and childhood.
This study adds to the nuances of nutrition guidance, which sometimes seems ambivalent to parents. While past public health information has been warning against excessive fish consumption due to pollution problems, this study shows that the current reality is completely different – most children have too few fish instead of too many.
“Our previous research shows that eating fish during pregnancy in the UK may have a positive impact on child development. This has also been found in countries where fish intake is higher than here, so encouraging fish consumption may have a positive impact on child development,” Dr Taylor explained.
For parents in the sometimes contradictory world of nutrition advice, this study provides a relatively simple guide: Incorporating seafood into children’s diets at least twice a week can not only support physical health, but also social development.
The ’90s Children’ study, which provided data for the study, recently received £5.2 million in funding to continue its health research. Founded by Professor Jean Golding in the early 1990s, this longitudinal study contributed to more than 3,000 research papers and will now expand to focus on third-generation participants.
While the study shows a clear association between fish consumption and prosocial behavior, the researchers acknowledge that more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind this relationship. However, these findings provide parents with evidence-based information to help make dietary decisions for their children.
“We hope these findings enable parents to gain the ability to gain knowledge and make their children the best start,” Dr. Taylor said.
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