N‐3 Fatty Acids by Young Children in a Region of China Compared to a Non‐coastal Region of Canada

The objective was to study the diets of children to determine current dietary intakes of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by Chinese and Canadian children. Two cross sectional surveys of dietary intake was conducted. Rural children (n=196), 1–5 yrs living in Heqing County, Yunnan Province, China, were surveyed. The mother was instructed to document all food and drink consumed by their child on 3, nonconsecutive 24 h dietary recalls. Healthy children (n=91), 4–7 yrs of age living in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada were surveyed. Parents were instructed to document all food and drink consumed by their child for 3 consecutive days using dietary food records. Mean daily DHA intake in children in Heqing County were 30±140 mg/d and provides ~2.7±14.2 mg/kg/body weight/d respectively in these Chinese children. Mean daily DHA intakes in children in Alberta were 37±63 mg/d and provides ~1.5 mg/kg/body weight/d respectively in these Canadian children. In these locations, Chinese children, 1–5 yrs, living in rural China and Canadian children, 4–7 yrs, not living near a marine environment have relatively low dietary intakes of DHA. The average, the current level of DHA provided by the diet of children in these locations is approximately 1/10 of the DHA intake that is available to infants fed human milk or formulas containing these n‐3 fatty acids. This work was financially supported by NSERC, and ECOFund.