DHA is known as “brain gold” in daily life. Many infant and child food advertisements, such as baby milk powder, fish oil, etc., promote the addition of DHA, which is beneficial to the development of baby\’s vision and intelligence. But in fact, to put it bluntly, DHA is not a mysterious substance. It is a fatty acid and one of the nutrients our human body needs – a component of lipids. Its chemical name is docosahexaenoic acid and it belongs to n -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are important components of human cell membranes and are the most abundant fatty acids in the brain and retina.
DHA is mainly naturally derived from marine animals and plants. It is an important substance for the development of the human brain and optic nerve. It can also increase blood vessel elasticity, reduce blood viscosity, regulate blood cell function, protect the cardiovascular system, and promote and improve human immunity. Among them, DHA is also the most critical substance for the development of the baby\’s brain and optic nervous system, so it is called \”brain gold\” because studies have confirmed that DHA is the main component of the human brain, accounting for about 10% of the adipose tissue of the human brain. Other studies have confirmed that EPA can rapidly synthesize and accumulate DHA in the brain, which indirectly proves that DHA is a substance that truly plays an important role in brain development.
DHA is an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. Polyunsaturated fatty acids similar to DHA include arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Pentaenoic acid (DPA), etc.
These polyunsaturated fatty acids can be obtained from food, or they can be synthesized in the body from the body’s essential fatty acids linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid. For example, linoleic acid can be converted into AA in the body (belongs to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids); α-linolenic acid can be converted and synthesized into EPA, DPA and DHA (belonging to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) in the body. However, when the human body uses these two essential fatty acids to synthesize these polyunsaturated fatty acids, it uses the same series of enzymes. There is competitive inhibition, which makes the synthesis efficiency and synthesis speed of these polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body low. Therefore, the human body obtains these polyunsaturated fatty acids from food. The most effective way is to obtain these polyunsaturated fatty acids directly.
The 2015 Expert Consensus on DHA Supplementation for Chinese Pregnant Women and Infants pointed out that although DHA is a non-essential fatty acid and can be synthesized from α-linolenic acid, it has a low conversion rate and is harmful to fetal and infant brain development. It is essential for the development of retina and retina, so for pregnant and lactating women, DHA can also be regarded as a conditional \”essential fatty acid\”. DHA has many benefits for maternal and child health: if DHA supplementation during pregnancy canIt reduces the risk of early premature birth and moderately promotes fetal growth; it is also beneficial to improving postpartum depression; it promotes the development of the baby\’s early nervous system and visual function; it can also regulate the baby\’s immune function and improve the baby\’s sleep quality.
The second and third trimesters of pregnancy are the fastest growing periods for the fetus, and the period from birth to about 2 years old after birth is the stage of rapid development of the baby. Therefore, if pregnant mothers consume an adequate amount of DHA from their diet, When it is difficult to achieve the appropriate daily intake level, it is recommended to start supplementing with DHA from the second trimester (13 weeks). It is recommended to start supplementing no later than 20 weeks after pregnancy. Mothers should not stop supplementing DHA until breastfeeding ends. .
