What is the daily intake of DHA for pregnant women?

DHA is what we usually call brain gold. The biggest effect of brain gold is that it can promote the intellectual development of the fetus. Pregnant women can eat some brain gold during pregnancy to help the development of the child's visual, tactile, auditory and other nervous systems. It also has a good promoting effect on the child's intelligence level. Pregnant women can appropriately consume 300 mg of DNA every day, which can play a good supplementary effect.

How much DHA do you need to supplement every day?

Pregnant and breastfeeding women: The National Institutes of Health and the International Association of Fatty Acids and Oils recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women should consume at least 300 mg of DHA per day?.

What is DHA

DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, commonly known as brain gold, is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is very important to the human body and an important member of the Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid family. DHA is a major element for the growth and maintenance of nervous system cells and an important component of the brain and retina. Its content in the human cerebral cortex is as high as 20%, and its largest proportion is in the retina of the eye, accounting for about 50%. Therefore, it is crucial for the intellectual and visual development of the fetus and infant.

Importance of DHA

Multiple studies have confirmed that infant feeding methods are associated with the development of infants' long-term cognitive functions. Childhood is a period of rapid cognitive development. The DHA content in infants who are breastfed in the early stages is higher than that in those who are not breastfed. This reminds people that DHA in breast milk is an important reason for improving children's cognitive function. Breast milk is rich in DHA, which can promote the development and maturation of the brain and stimulate the activity of DHA biosynthetic enzymes.

Do pregnant women need DHA supplements?

During pregnancy, DHA can optimize the composition of phospholipids in the pyramidal cells of the fetal brain. Especially after the fetus is 5 months old, if the fetus's hearing, vision, and touch are artificially stimulated, it will cause the neurons in the sensory center of the fetal cerebral cortex to grow more dendrites, which requires the mother to supply the fetus with more DHA at the same time.

DHA not only has an important influence on fetal brain development, but also plays an important role in the maturation of retinal photoreceptor cells. Pregnant women can increase their α-linolenic acid levels by consuming foods rich in α-linolenic acid during pregnancy, using the α-linolenic acid in the maternal blood to synthesize DHA, which is then transported to the fetal brain and retina to improve the maturity of the nerve cells there. Therefore, the mother should eat more foods containing DHA (such as marine fish) during pregnancy. In the last three months of pregnancy, she should also eat more foods rich in a-linolenic acid (such as nuts). If conditions permit, she can directly supplement it from special nutrition packages containing a-linolenic acid for pregnant women or DHA nutritional supplements.