Flavored flaxseed oil?

[newshound]

My doctor is suggesting my 7-year old son take flaxseed oil. I just know he's going to hate the taste. Does anyone know if it comes in a flavored version that would be pleasing to kids?

[catatonic]

I don't know of any specifically, but flaxseed oil doesn't have an unpleasant flavor. It's kind of nutty and you can use it in salad dressings, or mix it half and half with regular butter to make a soft spread for toast or sandwiches. Add it to peanut butter. Lots of easy, tasty ways to get it into kids. Just don't cook with it, since that will destroy the nutrients you're trying to consume.

One thing you should be aware of is that there is clinical evidence that some people, children with ADHD in particular, are not able to utilize the short-chain essential fatty acids that make up flax oil. They may be deficient in the enzymes required to convert these short chains into the long-chain DHA and EPA that the brain requires. Additionally, they may also oxidize essential fatty acids more rapidly than others, indicating the importance of providing plenty of antioxidants (such as Vitamin E) along with the Omega-3.

You might want to bring the following articles to your doctor's attention:

"Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Children With ADHD"
www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/1/327

Increased levels of ethane, a non-invasive marker of n-3 fatty acid oxidation, in breath of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14609313


The potential role of fatty acids in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10970718

Evidence that flax oil supplementation does not work as well as fish oil supplementation because of ineffecient or abnormal metabolism is far from conclusive, but I find it convincing enough that we stick to fish oil exclusively.