DHA is a fat, or more strictly speaking and essential fatty acid. It is found right through our bodies and more importantly it is the major fat found in our brains. And DHA is essential for proper fetal and infant brain development.
And, as importantly it is found in breast milk.
A developing fetus or baby cannot produce enough DHA in it's own body, so it gets it's supply from it's mother. Before birth they get it from the placenta, and after birth they get it from her breast milk. And for this reason a pregnant or nursing woman is losing some of her supply of DHA every day.
To aid in infant and fetal brain development it is now recommended that moms and moms to be should be taking DHA supplements, or more specifically Omega 3 supplements, because DHA is an essential omega 3 fatty acid. And of course there are other supplements that they should be taking as well, like folic acid.
This is important for several aspects of fetal development, such as brain and eye development and more.
Recommendations for how much DHA should be consumed by pregnant and nursing mothers varies, but are around 200 to 300 mg per day. With our modern diet it is unlikely that we get enough DHA in our diets.
Fish oil is the major, though not the only, source of DHA. Omega 3 fats found in fish are high in DHA. However there are some experts that are suggesting that moms do not take fish oil supplements high in DHA.
The fish at the high end of the food chain contain the most Omega 3 fats and so would be the obvious choice for a supply of DHA, but some experts believe that these fish are contaminated with some pollutants found in the sea like PCBs and mercury, and that mothers shouldn't be exposed to these.
And certainly there are fish oil supplements that can contain higher levels of heavy metals and other sea borne contaminants.
There are very strict international standards for the levels of contamination accepted in Omega 3 supplements. The company that makes the very best Omega 3 supplements believes that their supplements should be free of any contaminants, and seek to make their products to a standard way stricter than the international standards. Their Omega 3 fish oils supplements are free of any form of chemical contamination, because they use a fish that is found in the cleanest part of the worlds oceans, they process the fish in a particular way then they decontaminate to an extreme degree.
So there now seems to be little doubt that mothers and pregnant women ought to be taking the best Omega 3 supplements high in DHA, for both their own health and the health and development of their babies.
So it's very good news indeed that we can now source contamination free Omega 3 fish oil supplements so we don't need to worry.
Author Resource:-
Want to know more about the benefits of Omega 3 to brain development? Or about how to get Omega 3 Fish Oils in your diet? Visit Peter's Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.
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