Awesome Omegas

The Importance of DHA for Mom and Baby

By Donna Smith

Other than fish, good choices that contain DHA include eggs, shellfish, shrimp, chicken livers, flax seed oil, crab and beef liver.

Another way to incorporate DHA into your diet is with supplements. "DHA can also be obtained as a nutritional supplement," says Dr. Salem. "A variety of sources are available from various fish oils and plant sources. Supplements are a convenient way for Westerners in particular to meet their needs for omega-3 fat intake and may be obligatory for those who do not like fish or are allergic to fish, etc."

"Supplements such as Kyolic-EPA have high-quality fish oil in it," says Dr. Haru Amagase, director of research and development at Wakunaga of America Co. in Mission Viejo, Calif. "Therefore, it is a good source of DHA and EPA (another omega-3 fatty acid) in addition to odorless, aged garlic extract." Kyolic-EPA contains 120 milligrams of DHA per capsule.

Remember: It's important to consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplement.

The need for DHA doesn't stop once your baby is born. According to Moriguchi, the brain of a newborn baby is still immature after birth. "Mother has to continue to take DHA source, because the baby needs to be supplied with DHA from breast milk or baby formula," he says.

Dr. Salem agrees that breast milk is the best source of DHA for the infant diet, but says that since American women have a very low intake of fish and other sources of omega-3 fats, their breast milk is also very low in DHA. "The level of DHA in American women has been reported in the past to be about 0.35 percent of totally fatty acids," he says. "However, many women have levels of 0.1 percent and lower. This is below the level where randomized, controlled trials have been able to demonstrate a benefit. Therefore, breastfeeding does not assure that adequate DHA will be fed." Dr. Salem adds that most women in the United States have inadequate levels of DHA in their breast milk.

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