DHA Intake in School-Age Children Needs to Be Maintained to Support Brain Function

The adequacy of omega-3 fatty acid intake, particularly EPA and DHA, in school-age children remains a concern. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2016 showed that around eight out of ten Indonesian children aged 4-12 years have EPA and DHA intake below the minimum level recommended by FAO/WHO.

This finding is important because DHA is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that plays a role in the development and function of the nervous system, including the brain. This nutritional need must continue to be considered when children enter school age and experience changes in eating and drinking patterns.

Upon entering primary school age, around 7-12 years, children’s beverage choices tend to become increasingly varied. Flavoured drinks, such as chocolate drinks, packaged tea, and soft drinks, can become part of children’s consumption choices, while milk consumption may decrease.

This change in consumption patterns means parents need to pay more attention to the nutritional adequacy of all food and drinks consumed by children. DHA requirements do not depend solely on one type of food or drink, but can be obtained from various food sources containing omega-3.

Paediatrician Dr Shyrien Amalina said that the adequacy of essential fatty acids such as Arachidonic Acid (AA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) remains important for school-age children and adolescents to support the learning process and maturation of brain function.

“Although brain development occurs most rapidly in the first 1,000 days of life, the myelination process of the prefrontal cortex—which plays a role in attention, planning, decision-making, and impulse control—continues into adolescence,” said Shyrien on Saturday (22/8/2026).