Trout Consumption in Young Children and Families and Brain Health

Overview

Regular fish consumption may support brain health. Trout lines developed in Idaho contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients important for human cognition and mental wellbeing. Developed to support aquaculture sustainability, consumer preferences and human health benefits of these fish are unknown. The long-term goal of this project is to utilize nutrition education strategies to increase adult and child consumption of fish to improve brain health as measured by cognitive and emotional wellbeing. Research objectives and activities include, (1) adult and child consumer panels to provide sensory evaluation on three strains of trout, (2) effects of repeated exposure (RE) and child-centered nutrition phrases (CCNP) on eating behaviors and brain health will be determined using one control and two treatment groups of children in childcare settings, (3) effects of nutrition education, incorporating CCNP and fish preparation techniques, and RE targeting family meals on eating behaviors of children and brain health of adults and children will be determined using four treatment groups in the home setting.

Regular fish consumption may support brain health. Trout lines developed in Idaho contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients important for human cognition and mental wellbeing. Developed to support aquaculture sustainability, consumer preferences and human health benefits of these fish are unknown. The long-term goal of this integrated project is to utilize nutrition education strategies to increase adult and child consumption of fish to improve brain health as measured by cognitive and emotional wellbeing. The long-term impact of this project addresses the key knowledge gap in understanding strategies to increase fish consumption in children and adults, which has the positive implication to improve adult and child cognitive and emotional wellbeing. As knowledge of the health benefits of foods such as fish, may not result in increased consumption, this study can provide evidence of repeated exposure and applied educational tools to facilitate consumption by children and adults. Results from this study will fill the gap to provide greater knowledge of cognitive and emotional wellbeing health benefits of fish consumption and strategies for increasing adult and children's fish consumption. A greater intake of fish not only has the potential to contribute to improved population health outcomes, but also has a probable role in sustainability of US agriculture and food systems through promotion of this cost effective source of protein. In addition, better understanding the sensory perceptions of consumers in relation to fish with varied diets is an important step in identifying additional strategies to grow the aquaculture industry. The specific lines of trout being developed at the Hagerman facility do have a focus on sustainability through feeding plant-based diets rather than the traditional fish meal diet, which is less sustainable and more taxing on the aquaculture industry. Having the data on consumer acceptance, and evidence to support nutrition education strategies to increase liking, and consumption of these lines of trout will contribute to the overall sustainability goals.