The Importance of DHA Beyond Infancy
DHA is important for ongoing brain growth and development in children. It is also important for brain, eye and heart function throughout life. The body will continue to turn over DHA throughout the lifecycle and it is important to replenish the stores of DHA in our bodies. While the body can convert DHA from its precursor fatty acids, this process is inefficient and varies from person to person. It is therefore important for children (and adults) to obtain adequate amounts of DHA directly from their diet.
- During the early childhood years (ages 2 and 6) the brain and eyes experience significant growth. In fact, between birth and 5 years of age, the human brain increases approximately 3.5-fold in mass and DHA content increases from 1 gram to approximately 4.5 grams. Due to the major growth during this time and because DHA represents up to 97% of the omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and up to 93% of the omega-3 fatty acids in the retina, the brain and eyes have significant requirements for preformed DHA.
- The body’s production of DHA from other fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is insufficient to support optimal DHA levels in the human brain and other tissues.
- Therefore, including DHA in the diet is the most reliable way to ensure that sufficient amounts of DHA are available to support optimal growth and development.
- Children ages 1-5 years were shown to have DHA intakes ranging from 30-50 mg/day, a level that does not support the amount of DHA recommended for optimal growth.
- DHA consumption in children is generally low because the primary dietary sources of DHA are fatty fish and organ meat, foods typically not popular with young children. Additionally, the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have advised young children to limit the consumption of certain fish due to potentially harmful levels of contaminants (See Fish Advisories).
- DHA supplementation was shown to restore healthy blood vessel function in children with high cholesterol levels. These investigators also reported that DHA supplementation in these same children resulted in a favorable shift from small, dense LDL particles, known to be highly correlated with coronary heart disease, to large LDL particles. DHA supplementation also resulted in a significantly favorable increase in HDL particle size.
- One year old infants who received DHA-supplemented baby food since weaning showed improved vision, equivalent to 1.5 lines on the eye chart, compared to those who received baby food that did not contain DHA.