Essential fatty acid intake in the health and nutrition of schoolchildren

Authors

  • Sandra Gabriela Barrazueta Rojas Facultad de Salud Pública. Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba – Ecuador Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2837-8390
  • Lorena Patricia Yaulema Brito Facultad de Salud Pública. Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba – Ecuador Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9149-5533
  • María José Andrade Albán Facultad de Salud Pública. Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba – Ecuador Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5874-4390
  • María de los Angeles Rodríguez Cevallos Facultad de Salud Pública. Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba – Ecuador Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3688-0065

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56294/saludcyt20262532

Keywords:

learning, schoolchildren, lipids, nutrition, risks, health

Abstract

Introduction: Nutrition is key to both the health and academic performance of students, particularly because a positive correlation has been found between the intake of some foods and health, nutritional status and the development of cognitive functions in children and adolescents. Therefore. Purpose: the objective of this research was to determine the relationship between the intake of essential fatty acids and the health and nutrition of schoolchildren. Methods: In this sense, a systematic review of 180 articles was carried out in the Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, Latindex, Redalyc and Google Scholar databases, of which 24 were selected that address Essential fatty acid intake in the health and nutrition of schoolchildren from research reported between 2021 and 2025. Results: The results reveal that the intake of essential fatty acids is closely related to the health and nutrition of schoolchildren when it is observed that diets rich in fish and shellfish or fatty acid supplementation from infancy are associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease and development of cognitive skills, including in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Down syndrome, so Conclusions: it is concluded that the inclusion of fatty acid consumption in the dietary regimes of the school-age population should be mandatory, especially if they are in conditions of vulnerability and malnutrition.

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Published

2026-01-01

How to Cite

1.
Barrazueta Rojas SG, Yaulema Brito LP, Andrade Albán MJ, Rodríguez Cevallos M de los A. Essential fatty acid intake in the health and nutrition of schoolchildren. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología [Internet]. 2026 Jan. 1 [cited 2026 Jan. 19];6:2532. Available from: https://sct.ageditor.ar/index.php/sct/article/view/2532