Fish on the Menu Linked to Kinder, More Social Children

Children who regularly eat fish tend to exhibit more sharing, friendliness, and altruistic behavior than their peers who consume little or no seafood, according to new research that underscores the potential importance of diet on social development.

The study from the University of Bristol, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found that 7-year-olds with the lowest seafood consumption were less likely to display “prosocial” behaviors both at that age and two years later, compared to children who ate fish more frequently.

This connection between fish consumption and behavioral development adds a new dimension to the ongoing conversation about childhood nutrition, moving beyond the more commonly studied metrics of physical growth and cognitive development.

“When there’s conflicting advice, it can be difficult to know what the best course of action is,” said Dr. Caroline Taylor, Associate Professor in Nutrition at the University of Bristol, who has been studying nutrition in pregnant women and children for over a decade. “Our evidence to link fish consumption in children with the best behavioural development is clear, and we strongly recommend parents to provide at least two portions of fish a week in accordance with NHS guidelines.”

The researchers analyzed data from 5,969 participants in the long-running “Children of the 90s” study, which has been tracking individuals born in the early 1990s in southwest England. Parents completed questionnaires about their children’s behavior at ages 7 and 9, while also providing information about dietary habits.

Notably, the study found that nearly all children in the sample were consuming less fish than the NHS-recommended two portions per week, which includes at least one serving of fatty fish like salmon or mackerel. This widespread underconsumption may be partly attributed to previous public health messaging that emphasized concerns about potential pollutants in fish, including mercury.

The research team controlled for various social and demographic factors that might influence the results, helping to isolate the relationship between seafood consumption and behavior. While the study discovered links to prosocial behavior, researchers found no association between fish intake at age 7 and IQ scores.

Seafood is rich in nutrients considered important for brain development, including omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and iodine. Additionally, regular fish consumption may serve as a marker for overall healthier dietary patterns and lifestyle choices.

The findings come at a time when developmental psychologists and educators are increasingly emphasizing the importance of prosocial behavior—friendly interactions, sharing, and altruism—which typically begins to emerge between ages 1 and 2 and grows more complex as children develop.

“Encouraging prosocial behaviour is vital to a well functioning society, highlighting the importance of early life development and the role of good nutrition in childhood,” the researchers noted in their paper.

This study builds upon previous research conducted by the same team that found positive effects of maternal fish consumption during pregnancy on child development. The combined evidence suggests that fish intake is beneficial both prenatally and during childhood itself.

The research adds nuance to nutritional guidance that sometimes appears contradictory to parents. While past public health messages have cautioned against excessive fish consumption due to pollution concerns, this study suggests that the current reality is quite different—most children are getting too little fish rather than too much.

“Our previous studies have shown that eating fish during pregnancy in the UK can have a positive effect on child development. This has also been found in countries where fish intakes are higher than they are here, so encouraging fish consumption is likely to have a positive effect on child development,” Dr. Taylor explained.

For parents navigating the sometimes conflicting world of nutritional advice, the research offers relatively straightforward guidance: incorporating seafood into children’s diets at least twice weekly could potentially support not just physical health but social development as well.

The “Children of the 90s” study, which provided the data for this research, recently received £5.2 million in funding to continue its health research. Founded by Professor Jean Golding in the early 1990s, the longitudinal study has contributed to more than 3,000 research papers and will now expand to focus on the third generation of participants.

While the study demonstrates a clear association between fish consumption and prosocial behavior, the researchers acknowledge that more investigation is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind this relationship. Nevertheless, the findings provide parents with evidence-based information to help make dietary decisions for their children.

“We hope these research findings empower parents with the knowledge to give their children the best start in life,” Dr. Taylor said.