Your brain needs DHA

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Your brain needs DHA

NEW YORK, NY.

Dr. Barbara Levine, Professor of Nutrition in Medicine at Cornell

University, sounds the alarm concerning a totally inadequate intake of DHA

(docosahexaenoic acid) by most Americans. DHA is the building block of human

brain tissue and is particularly abundant in the grey matter of the brain

and the retina. Low levels of DHA have recently been associated with

depression, memory loss, dementia, and visual problems. DHA is particularly

important for fetuses and infants; the DHA content of the infant's brain

triples during the first three months of life. Optimal levels of DHA are

therefore crucial for pregnant and lactating mothers. Unfortunately, the

average DHA content of breast milk in the United States is the lowest in the

world, most likely because Americans eat comparatively little fish. Making

matters worse is the fact that the United States is the only country in the

world where infant formulas are not fortified with DHA. This despite a 1995

recommendation by the World Health Organization that all baby formulas

should provide 40 mg of DHA per kilogram of infant body weight. Dr. Levine

believes that postpartum depression, attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD), and low IQs are all linked to the dismally low DHA intake

common in the United States. Dr. Levine also points out that low DHA levels

have been linked to low brain serotonin levels which again are connected to

an increased tendency to depression, suicide, and violence. DHA is abundant

in marine phytoplankton and cold-water fish and nutritionists now recommend

that people consume two to three servings of fish every week to maintain DHA

levels. If this is not possible, Dr. Levine suggests supplementing with 100

mg/day of DHA.

Levine, Barbara S.

Most frequently asked questions about DHA. Nutrition Today, Vol. 32,

November/December 1997, pp. 248-49