Awesome Omegas

The Importance of DHA for Mom and Baby

By Donna Smith

The majority of people today are more conscious about the food they eat. But nothing makes a woman question what she puts in her mouth more than hearing the words, "You're pregnant." While folic acid and calcium may be the first nutritional needs that come to mind, there is another that's just as important and sometimes overlooked: docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA.

"DHA is one type of polyunsaturated fatty acid," says Dr. Toru Moriguchi, senior researcher at the Healthcare Research Institute, Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan. "Fatty acids consist of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids." The polyunsaturated fatty acids can be separated into two groups: omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-6 fats are derived from seeds, nuts and polyunsaturated oils. Omega-3 fats are mainly found in oily fish.

When it comes to the health of the fetus, DHA, an omega-3, ranks high in importance.

According to Dr. Moriguchi, DHA is "essential rather than beneficial" for pregnant women. DHA is found throughout the body and in high amounts in the brain and eyes. "It is important for development of not only the brain and nerves, but also the retina," he says.

DHA may also help moms deliver bigger babies. A clinical trial, conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women given fish oil containing 1 gram of DHA daily vs. women given a placebo from their 30th week extended the pregnancies by four days and gave birth to bigger babies.

The importance of DHA does not stop with fetal development, but can affect Mom as well. "The baby is fed by the nutrients in the mother's blood via the umbilical cord," says Dr. Moriguchi. "So by not consuming essential fatty acids, both Mother and Baby suffer."

"DHA and other omega-3 fat sources are also important for the mother's health during pregnancy, in particular as it is known that the mother's blood becomes depleted in DHA as a result of the supply to the fetus," says Dr. Norman Salem, Jr., chief at the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Md. DHA is passed from the mother to the fetus throughout the pregnancy, but especially during the third trimester due to Baby's brain growth at this time. If the mom-to-be is not getting enough DHA, neither will her unborn baby.

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