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Let's Increase Our Omega 3s !

Heidi Agustin & Erica Azucena

Purpose

- To do more research on early

adolescents to see if Omega-3 FAs improve cognitive development!

- To educate adolescents about Fat! - Introduce Nutrition as a Science! - Create an overall relatable and effective program!

A Research Connection
!O " mega-3s affect higher brain development during the adolescent growth period ! ! "Affects Pre-frontal Cortex of the Brain that involves: ~Planning ~Attention ~Problem solving ~Emotional control ~Impulse control ! !S " tudies have shown Omega-3s may positively inuence nonverbal intelligences, cognitive abilities, learning and behavior outcomes ! !S " tudies shown a link between Omega-3 deciencies and with ADHD and Dyslexia.! !O " verall, more research is needed about Omega-3s and inuences on an adolescents brain development. !

Research of Studies !
-"Study on reading & memory of children ages 7-9! -"A study on Childhood to old age:! -"Infants: post-mortem fatty acid brain content higher in breastfed vs. formula! -"Ages 22-55: improved reaction time in attention tasks! -"Ages 55 & older: increased episodic memory performance! - (+) correlation most prevalent with ADHD & dyslexia! -"Studies mostly supplementation ! -"Lack studies on adolescents !

Sample Population!
!

Adolescents!
~(26) 7th grade Students ! ~Intro Biology! ~George V. Leyva Intermediate ! ~San Jose, CA!

Method
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Developed an Interactive Education Program: ! ~Verbal Pre-assessment: What they know about Fat! ~Short lecture about Fat: -Portion tips -Food resources -Provided the connection with research -Provided a connection with the 5 kingdoms ! ~Pre-assessment: FFQ about Fat intake -Intake of Omega-3 FAs in the last week ! ~Food demonstration of a parfait -Ways to incorporate Omega-3 Fatty acids -To practice measuring ingredients -Provide them with breakfast! ~Post-assessment: Included 5 Questions -11/26 lled out evaluations -8/11 had positives reviews -3/11 had indifferent/negative reviews!

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Search engine: USDA.gov!

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Grant: Inuence of Developmental Differences on Children's Responses to Information on Foods -Sean Cash -University of Wisconsin! Amount: $25,000! Purpose: ! -Build on current research of adolescents to improve dietary hx: ! -Cognitive/language ability -Executive function!

Funding

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-Dietary knowledge

3 Different Results Assess cognitive abilities!


! ~Average 1 week omega-3 consumption Compared to following a test! ! ~Test results divided to above average, average, below average ! ! ~Not including students not specifying amount/serving!

Results!

Results
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-Typically high amount of omega-3 FA consumption for above average with spinach/soybeans signicantly higher! ! ! -Average: walnuts/pecans not properly documented- no data provided! -No signicant difference between average/below average!

Results
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-"Above average consumed more omega-3s by weeks than average/below! -"Average/below: no signicant difference!

Results
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~Above average: completed questionnaires more than average/below! ~Students scoring average made more error than those scoring below!

Conclusion
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-Above average: consumed more omega-3s with more frequency and completed questionnaires! -No signicant differences between average/below! -Could not establish a positive correlation between test percentage score categories! -End result: positive correlation omega-3 fatty acid consumption and cognition from those scoring above average (90% or above) to those below that (89% and below)!
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More research would have to be conducted


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Conclusion!

Factors to consider:! Day & time of survey taken! Questionnaire design & time to complete! Comprehension of serving sizes! Ability to recall foods eaten in last week! !

Conclusion
!

For next time: ! ~Better day & time students are alert! ~More simple questionnaire format! ~More time to complete the questionnaire ! ~Emphasizing completing the entire evaluation!

Thank You!!

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