Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: The DHA Story

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a major component of the neuronal membranes in the central nervous system. It is found in the diet, but the US dietary intake appears to be low compared to many other cultural patterns of intake. As well, US infant formulas did not contain DHA until 2002. Research over the past 25 years has shown that this fatty acids begins to accumulate in the brain around 22-24 weeks gestation and that the accumulation is related to DHA exposure. Experimental trials have provided DHA to human preterm and term infants to examine the effects of increasing DHA exposure during these windows of brain development on functional outcomes such as visual acuity and basic behavioral functions linked to later cognitive outcomes. In addition, several experimental and a number of observational studies now link maternal DHA intake to some of these same developmental outcomes. The presentation will review the lines of evidence that DHA is a nutrient and that it may be important to improve nutritional intake of DHA for pregnant and lactating women and newborn infants.