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Research Highlights: The Importance of DHA Beyond Infancy
life'sDHA™ is a trademark of Martek Biosciences Corporation.
Docosahexaenoic acid, DHA, is an omega-3 fatty acid that is found throughout the body. More specifically, it
is an important structural fat in the brain and eyes and a key component of the heart. A growing body of
research continues to support the role that DHA plays in maintaining good health throughout life. DHA is
important for brain and eye development and function throughout the lifecycle, but is particularly important
during the first years of life and early childhood. Below are research highlights from studies examining the
role of DHA in health and development in early life. (Please refer to the list of references.)
- DHA is the predominant omega-3 fatty acid found in the brain. DHA represents about 97% of all omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and 93% of all the omega-3 fatty acids in the eye (retina).1-3
- Uptake of preformed DHA by the brain is significant between ages 2 and 5 and supports the substantial accumulation of DHA by the brain during this critical growth period.4
- 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.5
- The body's production of DHA from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is limited.6,7
- Including DHA in the diet is the most reliable way to ensure that DHA is available to support optimal brain and eye development and function.8
- DHA supplementation has been shown to improve blood lipid profiles and restore endothelial function in children with high cholesterol levels.9,10
- Children ages 1-5 years were shown to have low DHA intakes ranging from 30-50 mg/day.11,12
- This is because the primary dietary sources of DHA are fatty fish and organ meats which are not popular food choices for young children and DHA-fortified foods geared toward toddlers are limited.
References
©2007 Martek Biosciences Corporation v4-0307
1. Salem N Jr, et al. Mechanisms of action of docosahexaenoic acid in the nervous system. Lipids, 2001. 36:945-59.
2. Lauritzen L, et al. The essentiality of long chain n-3 fatty acids in relation to development and function of the brain and retina. Prog Lipid Res, 2001. 40:1-94. (Calculated using Table 1 data. 22:6n-3/Total n-3)
3. Uauy R, et al. Essential fatty acids in visual and brain development. Lipids, 2001. 36:885-95.
4. Martinez M. Tissue levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids during early human development. J Pediatr, 1992. 120:S129-38.
5. Hoffman DR, et al. Maturation of visual acuity is accelerated in breast-fed term infants fed baby food containing DHA-enriched egg yolk. J Nutr, 2004. 134:2307-2313.
6. Pawlosky RJ, et al. Physiologic compartmental analysis of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in adult humans. J Lipid Res, 2001. 42:1257-1265.
7. Arterburn LM, et al. Distribution, interconversion, and dose response of n-3 fatty acids in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 2006. 83:1467S-76S.
8. Cunnane SC, et al. Breast-fed infants achieve a higher rate of brain and whole body docosahexaenoate accumulation than formula-fed infants not consuming dietary docosahexaenoate. Lipids, 2000. 35:105-11.
9. Engler MM, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid restores endothelial function in children with hyperlipidemia: results from the EARLY study. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2004. 42:672-679.
10. Engler MM, et al. Effect of docosahexaenoic acid on lipoprotein subclasses in hyperlipidemic children (the EARLY study). Am J Cardiol, 2005. 95:869-871.
11. U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service. 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) and 1994-96 Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (DHKS). Springfield, VA: Available from National Technical Information Service, 1998.
12. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Dietary Reference Intakes: Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2005.
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