Dietary assessment of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid intake in 4–7 year-old children

Objective: To investigate current dietary intakes of arachidonic acid (AA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in healthy children between 4–7 years of age using a 3-day food record. Design: Cross-sectional study investigating dietary intakes using food records. Parents were instructed to document all food and drink consumed by their child for 3 consecutive days. Subjects and Setting: Healthy children (n = 91), 4–7 years of age, living in central Alberta, Canada were volunteered by their parents to participate in the study. Seventy-eight children completed the study. Results: AA and DHA intakes were 57 ± 35 mg/day and 37 ± 63 mg/day, ranged between 1.2–180 mg/day and 0–350 mg/day and varied day to day at 0–380 mg/day and 0–991 mg/d, respectively. DHA intake was ≤30 mg/day for 74% of the subjects. Conclusion: Canadian children, 4–7 years of age and not living near a marine environment, have relatively low dietary intakes of AA and DHA. Retinal and neuronal development continues throughout childhood, therefore it is conceivable that low intake of AA and DHA may have a negative impact. © 2009 American College of Nutrition.