What if we could eat our way out of ADHD?!

One of the most exciting things I learned about while at Alltech's 30th Annual International Symposium had nothing to do with animals, and everything to do with my most important job in life -- my boys. I have thought for quite some time that they do not have the level of focus they should and wondered if there was anything I could do to help them.  As it turns out, there just may be! 

What if our switch to a more urban society (less hunting and gathering) has caused much of the ADHD epidemic?  Thirty-six to 52 billion dollars are spent each year on research and treatment of ADHD, yet research reported at Symposium has shown that giving kids who exhibit signs of ADHD an omega-3 DHA supplement for 16 weeks greatly decreased their inattentiveness and helped them to get an additional 57 minutes of sleep each night. 

Throughout history, humans have eaten fish.  It was abundant, easy to catch and easy to cook.  We could get fresh fish year around even if the water was iced over. Now, with 50 percent of the population worldwide living in urban areas, it is no longer necessary to catch your own food.  Any food you want is available 365 days a year at the corner grocery store.

Oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna and salmon, are naturally high in omega-3 DHA, not because the fish produces it, but because the fish eat algae that is high in omega-3 DHA.  What if our change in diet, thanks to ever increasing urbanization, has transformed the health of our children? 

Naturally-enriched milk is also a good source of omega-3 DHA when it is consumed in its whole form. Drinking enriched or fotified skim milk has some of the fat removed.  That shouldn’t be news to anyone, but did you ever think about the fatty acids that are removed with that fat?  Like omega-3 DHA?  We have been lectured to for decades to limit fat, but as Dr. Patrick Wall, professor at UCD Dublin said at Alltech’s 30th Annual International Symposium, “Not all fat is bad.”  Fat is essential for hormones, catalysts and many other functions in the human body. 

Not only has omega-3 DHA been linked to helping with ADHD, it has a whole list of positive benefits:

·         Anti-inflammatory

·         Increases in cognitive function

·         Anticancer

·         Antimicrobial

·         Neurobehavior

·         Decreases blood pressure

Now is the time for all farmers and ranchers to ask themselves: Are we in the business of agriculture or are we in the human health business?  Could farmers and ranchers start to produce foods that are enriched with the nutrients we are all missing in our diets?  After all, we are what the animal ate and we are what the animal did not eat. 

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could get the needed Omega-3 DHA
by eating beef or pork instead of fish?

What if +Alltech had the algae put in a capsule form so we could get our daily Omega-3 DHA without having to eat fish or take a fish oil capsule and in turn putting less pressure on already shrinking fish populations?  Would you take it?

It is time for us to put ourselves in the human health business and make good food and supplement choices for our families.

 -A Kansas Farm Mom

The future of Health with Algae?

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Alltech Symposium Glimpse 2020.  The presentations really gave me an amazing number of things to think about and contemplate.  I love companies that think outside the contemporary agriculture mind set.  This company and their leader really gets that we must keep improving and trying new ideas and ways or we are dying as a company and an industry.

I took lots of ideas away.  As a rancher and a mom, the research on DHA piqued my interest.

DHA

We have all heard the health benefits of DHA.  Those of us that have raised children over the last 10+ years know how DHA has become one of those essential things to look for in formula.  It is labeled safe by the FDA and can be found in infant formula, juices, and a number of dietary supplements.

DHA is important for brain and eye development, and heart health.  What would you think if I told you that people are looking to add DHA to cattle rations?  Not to improve what I listed above, but to improve the fertility of cattle.  I have several friends and family members that struggle with the ability to have a family and I wondered if DHA could help to improve their fertility.

Farmers are always looking for ways to improve the production of our cows.  Honestly, as a mom I look at my cows as my girls.  I hate it when they don't get pregnant.  As The Farmer always says, we don't believe in cow welfare.  If a cow isn't pregnant, she is sold.  The only way the girls pay for themselves is to raise a calf every year.

I'm always looking for new nutritional supplements to help the girls out.  DHA added to their feed or even their vitamin and mineral supplements looks totally intriguing to me.

So where does DHA come from?

DHA is found naturally in fish oil.  Fish eat algae that is a natural source of DHA.  Amazingly, Alltech owns 1 of 2 algae growing facilities in the world and it is certified as food grade algae.

I think it is awesome to think that we could isolate DHA from algae and not have to process fish that could be used as a protein source in someone's diet.

I wonder if added DHA to the diets of some of my friends and family that are having difficulty conceiving a child would help them.  Hmmm.  Those are thoughts for someone much smarter than I. 

The the future of agriculture is diverse and opportunities abound for those willing to look at new ideas.  The opportunities that exist would seem magical in nature to my grandfathers.

Be sure to check out the Alltech Blog for other great articles from the Symposium.

-A Kansas Farm Mom