Key Message: During pregnancy and breastfeeding DHA plays a vital role in foetal and infant brain development and visual function.
Action Point: Maternal intake of DHA is crucial and dietary intake should be increased to avoid becoming depleted, especially during the third trimester when there is significant brain development.
We know that DHA is critical for optimal brain development, health and function at all ages. While it provides support for memory and cognitive function and healthy development of eyes for adults, research has shown DHA supplementation during pregnancy and breastfeeding plays a significant role. It assists with foetal and infant brain development, increases IQ scores, lengthens attention spans, and enhances foetal and infant eye development.
Amazingly, the foetal brain is consuming 70% of dietary energy fed to it by the mother to meet the demands for its rapid rate of growth. Similarly, when the baby is born, it will use up to 60% of the energy from its mother’s milk for growth. That is why adequate maternal DHA intake is vitally important as without sufficient dietary intake, mothers become depleted of DHA and may increase their risk of suffering major depressive symptoms in the postpartum period. 2 Some say that “baby brain” is more likely caused by the depletion of maternal DHA, as it makes up 97% of the omega 3 fats in your brain.
During the third trimester there is significant development of brain and fat tissues and maternal DHA levels decrease while foetal accumulation of omega-3 fatty acids (mainly DHA) increases. Therefore maternal intake of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation is crucial as it not only determines the DHA levels of a newborn but also has a significant impact on post-natal development of brain and visual functions.
One study assessed the DHA in cord plasma, maternal plasma and breast milk to examine the connection of cord DHA and DHA from breastfeeding on infant growth and development from 6-11 months and found that higher cord DHA was associated with longer gestation, better visual activity and scored higher on the on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence at 6 months.3
These findings are consistent with the need for substantial increases of this vital fatty acid during the third trimester of pregnancy.
DHA is a major fat in the brain that is essential for normal brain function and low brain DHA results in impaired learning and behaviour. In infants it is crucial for optimal visual and cognitive development. Usually the intake of DHA among toddlers and children is quite low. However improvements in cognitive performance and behaviour have been seen as a result of supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids including DHA.
Research has demonstrated that infants whose mothers had high DHA at birth showed an accelerated cognitive development in infancy4 and it is therefore no surprise that studies have also suggested an important role for DHA in optimising school performance.
References
1. Bioceutucals Maternal Insights. October 2015 Issue
2. Hibbeln JR. Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. J Affect Discord 2002; 69(1-3):15-29
3. Jacobson JL, Jacobson SW, Muckle G, et al. Beneficial effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid on infant development: evidence from the inuit of arctic Quebec. J Podiatry 2008; 152(3):356-364
4. Hibbeln JR. Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. J Affect Discord 2002; 69(1-3):15-29
5. Colombo J, Kannass KN, Shaddy DJ, et al. Maternal DHA and the development of attention in infancy and toddlerhood. Child Dev 2004;75(4):1254-1267
6. Kuratko CN, Barrett EC, Nelson EB,et al. The relationship of docosahexaenoic acidDHA) with learning and behaviour in healthy children; a review. Nutrients 2013,5(7):2777-2810
7. Greenberg JA, Bell SJ, Ausdal WV. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation During Pregnancy. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;1(4):162-169.
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Written by: Sandra Di Giacomo |
