03/30/2017
For all you parents/soon to be parents out there, I was recently involved in a project on the importance of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in regards to infant cognition and visual acuity. N-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are important for the structure of your cells, signaling, and metabolism. DHA is derived from the N-3 fatty acid, ALA (alpha linolenic acid). ALA is found in foods such as flaxseed, walnuts, and fish. DHA, in particular, is important for infant growth and development. DHA is of interest in nutritional science and research because, as stated early, it has to be made from ALA. Through competitive enzymes in the body, the conversion of ALA to DHA can be slow. Note: A fetus accumulates large amounts of DHA in the brain in the third trimester and continues to accumulate large amounts of DHA until about 2 years of age. Sounds like we should be pumping our infants with DHA supplements, skipping the middle man (conversion of ALA to DHA), to improve their cognition and visual acuity right? Well…. The research on this topic of interest is mixed and inconclusive. DHA boosting may not make your children smarter…Sorry! However, we know DHA is important! The specific recommendations for ALA in infants 0-12 months and children 4-8 years range from 0.5g-0.9g/day. To maximize the efficiency of DHA conversion for infants, children AND adults, increase your N-3:N-6 fatty acid ratio. This means consume a higher amount of flaxseed, walnuts, fish/fish oils, and fortified egg/dairy products than vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean) and animal meats. You can begin by giving your babies flax meal or using flax oil and after nine months (to be safe) add flax seeds into your baby’s food.
With the research inconclusive in regards to the specific amounts of DHA required, it should be noted that there is also no research suggesting significant negative effects in regards to high amounts of DHA. Here is an article with specific studies to further examine this topic. Bon Appétit!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/well/do-dha-supplements-make-babies-smarter.html?_r=0
Adding DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, to infant formula or prenatal supplements doesn’t improve babies’ brain development, recent reviews have found.
