Weekly Fish Consumption Linked to Better Sleep and Higher IQ

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Greater fish consumption is associated with improved cognition among children, but the mediating pathways have not been well delineated. Improved sleep could be a candidate mediator of the fish-cognition relationship. This study assesses whether 1) more frequent fish consumption is associated with less sleep disturbances and higher IQ scores in schoolchildren, 2) such relationships are not accounted for by social and economic confounds, and 3) sleep quality mediates the fish-IQ relationship. In this cohort study of 541 Chinese schoolchildren, fish consumption and sleep quality were assessed at age 9–11 years, while IQ was assessed at age 12. Frequent fish consumption was related to both fewer sleep problems and higher IQ scores. A dose-response relationship indicated higher IQ scores in children who always (4.80 points) or sometimes (3.31 points) consumed fish, compared to those who rarely ate fish (all p < 0.05). Sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between fish consumption and verbal, but not performance, IQ. Findings were robust after controlling for multiple sociodemographic covariates. To our knowledge, this is the first study to indicate that frequent fish consumption may help reduce sleep problems (better sleep quality), which may in turn benefit long-term cognitive functioning in children.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17520-w

Children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have IQ scores that are 4 points higher, on average, than those who consume fish less frequently or not at all. These findings from the University of Pennsylvania are published in Scientific Reports, a Nature journal.

Previous studies showed a relationship between omega-3s, the fatty acids in many types of fish, and improved intelligence, as well as omega-3s and better sleep. But they’ve never all been connected before. This work, conducted by Jianghong Liu, Jennifer Pinto-Martin, and Alexandra Hanlon of the School of Nursing and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Adrian Raine, reveals sleep as a possible mediating pathway, the potential missing link between fish and intelligence.

“This area of research is not well-developed. It’s emerging,” says Liu, lead author on the paper and an associate professor of nursing and public health, in a release. “Here we look at omega-3s coming from our food instead of from supplements.”

For the work, a cohort of 541 9- to 11-year-olds in China, 54% boys and 46% girls, completed a questionnaire about how often they consumed fish in the past month, with options ranging from “never” to “at least once per week.” They also took the Chinese version of an IQ test called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, which examines verbal and non-verbal skills such as vocabulary and coding.

Their parents then answered questions about sleep quality using the standardized Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire, which included topics such as sleep duration and frequency of night waking or daytime sleepiness. Finally, the researchers controlled for demographic information, including parental education, occupation, and marital status as well as number of children in the home.

Analyzing these data points, the Penn team found that children who reported eating fish weekly scored 4.8 points higher on the IQ exams than those who said they “seldom” or “never” consumed fish. Those whose meals sometimes included fish scored 3.3 points higher. In addition, increased fish consumption was associated with fewer disturbances of sleep, which the researchers say indicates better overall sleep quality.

“Lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behavior; poor cognition is associated with antisocial behavior,” says Raine, who has appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behavior, so it’s not too surprising that fish is behind this.”

Pinto-Martin, who is executive director of Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives, as well as the Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing and a professor of epidemiology in Penn Medicine, sees strong potential for the implications of this research.

“It adds to the growing body of evidence showing that fish consumption has really positive health benefits and should be something more heavily advertised and promoted,” she says. “Children should be introduced to it early on.” That could be as young as 10 months, as long as the fish has no bones and has been finely chopped, but should start by around age 2.

“Introducing the taste early makes it more palatable,” Pinto-Martin says. “It really has to be a concerted effort, especially in a culture where fish is not as commonly served or smelled. Children are sensitive to smell. If they’re not used to it, they may shy away from it.”

Given the young age of this study group, Liu and colleagues chose not to analyze the details participants reported about the types of fish consumed, though they plan to do so for work on an older cohort in the future. The researchers also want to add to this current observational study to establish, through randomized controlled trials, that eating fish can lead to better sleep, better school performance and other real-life, practical outcomes.

For the moment, the researchers recommend incrementally incorporating additional fish into a diet; consumption even once a week moves a family into the “high” fish-eating group as defined in the study.

“Doing that could be a lot easier than nudging children about going to bed,” Raine says. “If the fish improves sleep, great. If it also improves cognitive performance—like we’ve seen here—even better. It’s a double hit.”

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/12/weekly-fish-consumption-linked-better-sleep/

Considering how cultures like Japanese consume a lot of fish, I think this makes sense. Feeding children fish at 10 months-old sounds like a challenge, but if it could improve sleep and IQ; I think it would be worth it. Personally I love fish, if this is true, maybe I should eat more of it to get better sleep.
 
Ok to get this out of the way: these so called links are stupid. Anti social behavior linked to low intelligence? There are plenty of highly intelligent jerks as well as compassionate, well mannered morons.
Being a people person and being intelligent are two completely different things, they might as well link the number of weekly bubble baths to likelihood of becoming a pitcher for the Yankees.

With that said, eating fish puts my stomach in nauseating knots, and in an ideal world, eating pizza with double cheese and barbecue sauce would be an adequate replacement.
 
This is what the Mayoclinic defines as anti-social behavior. The part in bold is in my opinion the biggest indicators of lower-intelligence. Though I don't think all of these symptoms are exclusive to (ASPD):

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...onality-disorder&utm_campaign=Knowledge-panel

Symptoms
Antisocial personality disorder signs and symptoms may include:

Disregard for right and wrong

Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others

Being callous, cynical and disrespectful of others

Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or personal pleasure

Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated

Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behavior

Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty

Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead

Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence

Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others

Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behavior with no regard for the safety of self or others

Poor or abusive relationships

Failure to consider the negative consequences of behavior or learn from them

Being consistently irresponsible and repeatedly failing to fulfill work or financial obligations
 
Yes and Sir Isaac Newton was very anti social himself, yet smarter than almost everyone waking the face of the planet.
 
Isaac Newton was impulsive, and failed to learn from the consequence of his behavior?
I wasn't implying he had everything on that list, but I think he had some of those traits that you didn't highlight, aka those that are not all that linked to intellectual capacity. His contributions are ground breaking, don't know where we'd be today without them.


I doubt he was prone to murder, but he wasn't a marshmallow. I hate to say these things bc he's done so much for us, but I had to post an example of someone highly intelligent, yet anti social in some ways.
 
I wasn't implying he had everything on that list, but I think he had some of those traits that you didn't highlight, aka those that are not all that linked to intellectual capacity. His contributions are ground breaking, don't know where we'd be today without them.

I already said that not all of the traits are exclusive to ASPD

This is what the Mayoclinic defines as anti-social behavior. The part in bold is in my opinion the biggest indicators of lower-intelligence. Though I don't think all of these symptoms are exclusive to (ASPD):

As did the Mayoclinic:

Symptoms
Antisocial personality disorder signs and symptoms may include:


Someone would need to be clinically diagnosed with ASPD by a professional.
 
Issac Newton did not have anti-social personality disorder. He may have had Aspergers. Also his madness was attributed to mercury poisoning. He may have also been clinically depressed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6140563

http://rsnr.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/62/3/289
Newton grew up with a vulnerable and eccentric character besides having a low self-esteem, and he was someone who only uncommonly developed any close relationships. On review it is argued that his distrust and suspicions of others, and the fear that he might be harmed by criticism and his discoveries stolen, followed from his mother's separation from him in childhood and not, as has been claimed, from the developmental disorder of Asperger's syndrome. It is further firmly argued that his ‘madness’ of 1692 and 1693 was due to mercury poisoning from his alchemical experiments and not to clinical depression.
 
Someone can be intelligent and shy, socially reserved, or callous etc. it doesn't mean they would exhibit the other hallmarks, like manipulation, or senseless high-risk behavior.

Yes, you can be very intelligent and have all those traits you didn't highlight, none at all, or any amount in between. It'll certainly make you less prone to doing stupid things like robbing a gas station with cameras everywhere and your license plate exposed for example
 
Yes, you can be very intelligent and have all those traits you didn't highlight, none at all, or any amount in between. It'll certainly make you less prone to doing stupid things like robbing a gas station with cameras everywhere and your license plate exposed for example

Yes, but the un-bolded traits would not mean they would be clinically diagnosed with Anti-social personality disorder. Perhaps they would be indications, but it does not mean they actually have the disorder.

The study associates anti-social behavior with insufficient sleep, as well as poor cognition.

“Lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behavior; poor cognition is associated with antisocial behavior,” says Raine, who has appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. “We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behavior, so it’s not too surprising that fish is behind this.”
 
Issac Newton did not have anti-social personality disorder. He may have had Aspergers. Also his madness was attributed to mercury poisoning. He may have also been clinically depressed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6140563

Oh no, I didn't say he had the disorder, I meant anti social as in not playing well with others, that sort of thing.
 
Most of the people in prison have diagnosed or un-diagnosed mental illnesses, and a great many of them have anti-social personality disorder. The behaviors listed above are almost always listed on school records going back to elementary school. Most of them also have a very low IQ.

The fact that there are a few people who are extremely intelligent and have some of the symptoms of these disorders doesn't invalidate the general rule that most people who test positive for this test very low on IQ tests. It's almost as if they are co-pathologies.
 
I still wonder if cognitive issues such as ADHD have anything to do with not absorbing certain nutrients well, gut related as opposed to simply how the brain is wired. I won't be too surprised if issues with certain oils are likely contributing to my ADHD and other issues such as behavior and manners. I ensure to keep my body basic on a daily basis by taking an alka seltzer first thing in be morning in just a little water so it doesn't dilute too much
 
My grandparents' generation still believed in taking a tablespoon full of cod liver oil every day, plus they ate a lot of dried cod and fresh fish like anchovies and sardines and shellfish. They also ate tons of fresh vegetables and fruit, and dressed everything with olive oil. I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I never heard of half of these conditions when I was a little, and now every other child seems to be diagnosed with them.
 
My grandparents' generation still believed in taking a tablespoon full of cod liver oil every day, plus they ate a lot of dried cod and fresh fish like anchovies and sardines and shellfish. They also ate tons of fresh vegetables and fruit, and dressed everything with olive oil. I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I never heard of half of these conditions when I was a little, and now every other child seems to be diagnosed with them.

Idk, my IQ is in the average to slightly above average range. My crappy sleep is more due to smoking weed, but generally I get really good sleep, and I do not eat seafood. I simply have no stomach for it. It induces almost immediate gag/vomit sensations. I can stomach shrimp depending on how its prepared. I also do not have poor cognition. I am slightly anti-social, and always have been. By anti-social I mean I am extremely selective of whom I spend my time with, and limited as well. I think people are just drawing at straws. Sure, seafood is higher in omegas which I presume are essential for brain health. Yet, it can be derived from other sources(maybe less effectively).
 
My grandparents' generation still believed in taking a tablespoon full of cod liver oil every day, plus they ate a lot of dried cod and fresh fish like anchovies and sardines and shellfish. They also ate tons of fresh vegetables and fruit, and dressed everything with olive oil. I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but I never heard of half of these conditions when I was a little, and now every other child seems to be diagnosed with them.

All the food you mention, plus the occasional spanking to some problematic child to instill discipline, must have to some degree helped with some of this Conditions. (I’m not promoting spanking.)
Cod Liver just in the Winter.
 
Idk, my IQ is in the average to slightly above average range. My crappy sleep is more due to smoking weed, but generally I get really good sleep, and I do not eat seafood. I simply have no stomach for it. It induces almost immediate gag/vomit sensations. I can stomach shrimp depending on how its prepared. I also do not have poor cognition. I am slightly anti-social, and always have been. By anti-social I mean I am extremely selective of whom I spend my time with, and limited as well. I think people are just drawing at straws. Sure, seafood is higher in omegas which I presume are essential for brain health. Yet, it can be derived from other sources(maybe less effectively).

You're correct about that, marijuana reduces REM sleep.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313952
The illicit recreational drugs cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana have pronounced effects upon sleep. Administration of cocaine increases wakefulness and suppresses REM sleep. Acute cocaine withdrawal is often associated with sleep disturbances and unpleasant dreams. Studies have revealed that polysomnographically assessed sleep parameters deteriorate even further during sustained abstinence, although patients report that sleep quality remains unchanged or improves. This deterioration of objective sleep measures is associated with a worsening in sleep-related cognitive performance. Like cocaine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") is a substance with arousing properties. Heavy MDMA consumption is often associated with persistent sleep disturbances. Polysomnography (PSG) studies have demonstrated altered sleep architecture in abstinent heavy MDMA users. Smoked marijuana and oral Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) reduce REM sleep. Moreover, acute administration of cannabis appears to facilitate falling asleep and to increase Stage 4 sleep. Difficulty sleeping and strange dreams are among the most consistently reported symptoms of acute and subacute cannabis withdrawal. Longer sleep onset latency, reduced slow wave sleep and a REM rebound can be observed. Prospective studies are needed in order to verify whether sleep disturbances during cocaine and cannabis withdrawal predict treatment outcome.
 
You're correct about that, marijuana reduces REM sleep.

I don't dream when on cannabis for prolonged periods.lol By bad sleep, I mean that I wake up once or twice in the night. Its also my recent work schedule I think. I usually have to be there at 7am so I go to bed at 11 on work days, and wake up at 3, go back to bed, wake up at 5 get ready rinse and repeat. On the weekends I practically stay up all night. I am a night owl.
 
I don't dream when on cannabis for prolonged periods.lol By bad sleep, I mean that I wake up once or twice in the night. Its also my recent work schedule I think. I usually have to be there at 7am so I go to bed at 11 on work days, and wake up at 3, go back to bed, wake up at 5 get ready rinse and repeat. On the weekends I practically stay up all night. I am a night owl.

Yes, you would not dream often, because the REM sleep is reduced. If you withdraw from it, you would get a resurgence of very vivid dreams. Because REM would kick back into overdrive.
 

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