Have you ever asked yourself this question, "what is DHA and what does it have to do with my child's health?" Here is some information on what DHA is, some facts about what the body uses it for and tests and research concerning DHA supplementation.

DHA ( docosahexaenoic acid ) is a long-chain omega-3 greasy acid that comes from fish oil. It is the longest and most unsaturated of the omega-3 trans-acids and is considered physiologically necessary in the right development and growth of the brain, nerve system and retina to support optimal cognitive function. DHA really accumulates in the brain our first couple years of life ; no other omega greasy acid does this. When born DHA makes up about 93% of the omega-3 acids in the retina and 97% of the omega-3 trans acids in the brain and continue increasing as the brain develops during the 1st two years of life and after based on measures in the cerebral cortex up to eighteen years of age. Essentially ; DHA=brain food.

When pertaining to the brain, DHA, often mixed with EPA ( eicosapentaenoic acid ) in augmentation, is important for correct brain function. It is present in high concentrations coating elements of the neural membranes ( providing fluidity and permeability ) where it has been found to play a very important role in the capability of the brain to send and receive clear signals and therefore function correctly. Essentially, if you think of the nerves as electrical wires in that they send electric impulses and have a coating to keep the present within the wire and broadcasting smoothly ; the coating on our nerves is made of a high content of omega-3 trans-acids most of which is DHA. Meaning the more DHA in your brain the better it can work.

What does this have to do with children's health? In doing the study for this article I found there have been many studies ( some of which can be found on dhaomega3.org ) that show a relationship between cognitive function, some behaviour issues, learning capability, memory, some reading disabilities, grades at school, visible acuity and levels of DHA in the brain. From the womb and beyond DHA plays a vital role in progress. Babies whose mothers got at least 200-300mg of DHA every day while pregnant have been shown to have better visual acuity at sixteen and thirty weeks. Breast-feeding mothers or babies who want formula can supplement with DHA food supplements and formulas that contain DHA

In Sweden a study was conducted of fifteen years old school youngsters and discovered that those who consumed fish high in omega-3's more than once per week had 15% higher grades than those who consumed fish less than once per week. Not just that, another study showed accumulative benefits from lengthened ingestion of DHA may ultimately over time have positive effects on school performance. In this report a regular intake of 127mg of DHA+55mg of EPA, as gotten from fish oil, embedded in bread spread was given to 7-9 year olds over a 6 month period. The control group had less than 20% of that intake. The bolstered kids had improvement ( based primarily on the Hopkins verbal Learning Test ) in recognition by 9%, discrimination index improvement of twenty p.c. and the same with the spelling test. DHA even appears to have a good effect on dyslexia ; after taking 480mg of DHA+108mg of EPA+ a lower level of GLA ( gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 greasy acid ) for 20 weeks the 12 year olds showed a 60% improvement on reading tests. It should be mentioned however this looks like an open-pilot trial. More studies are being done and must be done but this is definitely a fascinating beginning.

An inspiring study showed clearly that a DHA / EPA mix given to autistic 5-17 year olds lessened their hyperactive symptoms. Studies are on-going to find the correct combination levels of DHA / EPA and dose to help these children. Other Problems such as ADHD might be due to metabolic differences in fatty acid metabolism, causing greasy acid profiles that are out of strike, including lower levels of DHA causing poor information transmission in nerves. Scientists are researching what aggregate of omega-3 and omega-6 augmentation could help with certain facets of ADHD behaviors.

The deal with DHA and even a DHA / EPA combo is that it has been shown to be imperative for development health in youngsters and people of every age particularly as we grow older. In the final analysis it is advised that children get at least 100-150mg of DHA from the food they eat. One way to do that is by providing a low contaminate fish a couple times every week, or tuna from a can. Be careful, a lot of fish contain mercury, insecticides, toxins and dioxins ; extreme levels aren't good for any person not to mention kids.

If you choose a food supplement ensure you find a credible company that goes thru rigorous standard quality testing, preferably a couple of quality controls tests and outside laboratory testing. Some corporations on the store shelves have been recalled due to unsafe levels of PCBs. You are looking for a pharmaceutical grade kind of DHA, one that has gone thru filtration more than 2 times.

With so much happening in our kids' lives and all the kick, it could be wise to give their brains some additional food. DHA and DHA / EPA combo are a way to give them the tools they have to be able to concentrate and use their minds to the very best of their capacities. Foods loaded in omega-3 trans acids and fish low in contaminates or a food supplement are the easiest way to try this.