DHA - Who, what, when, where, why, and how?

WHO?

The developing fetus and children (anyone with a growing brain) needs DHA in their diet.



WHAT?

DHA, or Docosahexaenoic acid, is "the primary structural component of brain tissue".

WHEN?

A baby's brain grows the most while in the womb, and then triples in size by its first birthday - a very important time for baby to get adequate levels of DHA.  However, the brain continues to grow throughout childhood, and there is a second important window during the teen years.

WHERE?

There are many sources of DHA (or the less readily available ALA - see the chart at the bottom of this post) including fish oil, algae, walnuts, flax, canola, soybean, and wheat germ.



WHY?

"Just how important is DHA for brain development? Consider these research findings:

• Infants who have low amounts of DHA in their diet have reduced brain development and diminished visual acuity.


• The increased intelligence and academic performance of breastfed compared with formula- fed infants has been attributed in part to the increased DHA content of human milk.


• Cultures whose diet is high in omega 3 fatty acids (such as the Eskimos who eat a lot of fish) have a lower incidence of degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis.


• Experimental animals whose diets are low in DHA have been found to have smaller brains and delayed central nervous system development.


• Some children with poor school performance because of ADD, have been shown to have insufficient essential fatty acids in their diet."

HOW?

In addition to dietary sources (see table that follows), one may obtain DHA through supplements.  As a vegetarian, I avoid fish, so relied on algal supplements while pregnant/breastfeeding my baby.  I feed my baby fish, though you will want to be sure they are SAFE fish (free of heavy metals), and also prepare her food in canola oil and add lots of flax oil.

This site had some tables showing sources of these substances, if you want to know what to eat to get more in your diet:

Table 1: Dietary Sources of Omega-3 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fatty Acid	Food Sources
(i) Omega-6 Types
LA, linoleic acid (18:2 n-6)	Vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean), animal meats
AA, arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6)	Animal sources only (meat, eggs)
(ii) Omega-3 Types
ALA , (LNA) alpha-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3)	Flaxseed, canola oil, English walnuts, specialty eggs
EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3)	Fish, fish oils, marine sources
DHA, docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3)	Fish, fish oils, specialty egg/dairy products

Table 2: Alpha-Linolenic Acid Content of Various Foods and Oils

Source (100 g raw edible portion)	ALA (g)	Source (100 g raw edible portion)	ALA (g)
Nuts and Seeds		Legumes
Almonds	0.4	Beans, common (dry)	0.6
Beechnuts (dried)	1.7	Chickpeas (dry)	0.1
Butternuts (dried)	8.7	Cowpeas (dry)	0.3
Chia seeds (dried)	3.9	Lentils (dry)	0.1
Flaxseed	22.8	Lima beans (dry)	0.2
Hickory nuts (dried)	1.0	Peas, garden (dry)	0.2
Mixed nuts	0.2	Soybeans (dry)	1.6
Peanuts	0.003
Pecans	0.7	Grains
Soybean kernels	1.5	Barley, bran	0.3
Walnuts, black	3.3	Corn, germ	0.3
Walnuts, English and Persian	6.8	Oats, germ	1.4
		Rice, bran	0.2
Vegetables		Wheat, bran	0.2
Beans, navy, sprouted (cooked)	0.3	Wheat, germ	0.7
Beans, pinto, sprouted (cooked)	0.3	Wheat, hard red Winter	0.1
Broccoli (raw)	0.1
Cauliflower (raw)	0.1	Fruit
Kale (raw)	0.2	Avocados, California (raw)	0.1
Leeks (freeze-dried)	0.7	Raspberries (raw)	0.1
Lettuce, butterhead	0.1	Strawberries (raw)	0.1
Lettuce, red leaf	0.1
Mustard	0.1
Purslane	0.4
Radish seeds, sprouted (raw)	0.7
Seaweed, Spirulina (dried)	0.8
Soybeans, green (raw)	3.2
Soybeans, mature seeds, sprouted (cooked)	2.1
Spinach (raw)	0.1

Data from Kris-Etherton et al. (2000)

Table 3: Fish and Seafood Sources of DHA plus EPA

Source  (100 g portion)	DHA + EPA  (g)
Fish
Anchovy, European, raw	1.449
Carp, cooked, dry heat	0.451
Catfish, channel, farmed, cooked, dry heat	0.177
Cod, Atlantic , cooked, dry heat	0.158
Eel, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.189
Flatfish (flounder and sole), cooked, dry heat	0.501
Haddock, cooked, dry heat	0.238
Halibut, Atlantic and Pacific, cooked, dry heat	0.465
Herring, Atlantic , cooked, dry heat	2.014
Mackerel, Pacific and jack, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	1.848
Mullet, striped, cooked, dry heat	0.328
Perch, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.324
Pike, northern, cooked, dry heat	0.137
Pollock, Atlantic , cooked, dry heat	0.542
Salmon, Atlantic , farmed, cooked, dry heat	2.147
Sardine, Atlantic , canned in oil, drained solids with bone	0.982
Sea bass, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.762
Shark, mixed species, raw	0.843
Snapper, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.321
Swordfish, cooked, dry heat	0.819
Trout, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.936
Tuna, skipjack, fresh, cooked, dry heat	0.328
Whiting, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	0.518
Crustaceans
Crab, Alaska king, cooked, moist heat	0.413
Shrimp, mixed species, cooked, moist heat	0.315
Spiny lobster, mixed species, cooked, moist heat	0.480
Mollusks
Clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat	0.284
Conch, baked or broiled	0.120
Mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat	0.782
Octopus, common, cooked, moist heat	0.314
Oyster, eastern, farmed, cooked, dry heat	0.440
Scallop, mixed species, cooked, breaded and fried	0.180