dha is the selling point of various health products and formulas nowadays, which has an important role in the development of brain and retina, but many people have doubts, what exactly is dha?
What is dha?
dha is the abbreviation of docosahexaenoic acid, which is a polyvalent unsaturated fatty acid, an important component of human nerve cell tissue, an important component of the brain and retina, and has great benefits for the human body.
What does dha do?
Promotes brain cell development
DHA is an essential substance for brain development. In the cerebral cortex, DHA is not only the main component of nerve conduction cells, but also the main component of cell membrane formation, and most of DHA is not digested by gastric juice, but directly enters the bloodstream and is absorbed by the liver or brain, which has the effect of maintaining the integrity of brain cells and promoting brain cell development and improving memory.
Promote the development of vision
dha has an important role in the maturation of retinal photoreceptor cells. It accounts for 60 % of the total fatty acids in the retina and enables the retinal pigment molecules to improve visual acuity and promote the visual development of babies.
The role of DHA for pregnant women
The DHA required by the fetus must be supplied by the mother through the placenta. Proper supplementation of DNA for pregnant women has the importance of
1. Promote fetal brain cells, retinal development and psychomotor skill development (such as hand-eye coordination).
2. It can prolong the gestation period of women at risk of preterm birth.
3. It can help reduce the chance of postpartum depression.
The role of DHA for infants and children
The main development period of infant brain is in the second trimester of pregnancy and two years after birth. However, infants and young children cannot effectively convert DHA on their own during the development process, so DHA intake is particularly important to.
1、Promote the development of infant's brain and vision.
2, for premature babies, twins or multiples, DHA can make the baby's length, weight and head circumference reach normal levels, and good vision and intellectual development.
When to take Dha
Pregnant women start to take DNA from the 5th month of pregnancy, and it is recommended to take it until 6 months after the baby is born. Because this stage is the fastest period of neuron division and maturation in the fetal brain center, and the need for DHA is high.
Babies take dha best from 6 months - 2 years old. Because this stage is the most rapid growth and development of infants and toddlers, DHA can produce a large amount of hormones that are vital to promote brain development.
What are the food sources of DHA
1, breast milk. Colostrum is particularly rich in DHA. Japanese mothers eat more fish, milk DHA content of up to 22%.
2、Formula. Refers to formula with DHA added.
3、Sea fish. the fish with high DHA content are tuna, mackerel, eel, sardine, sailfish, tuna, yellowtail, swordfish, eel, scallop, flower carp, etc. In fish, the part with high DHA content is eye socket fat, followed by fish oil.
4、Dried fruits. Such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts, sesame, etc. The alpha-linolenic acid contained therein can be converted into DHA in the human body.
5, algae. Algae oil is directly extracted from marine algae, high content, not passed through the food chain, no heavy metal pollution, no EPA, safe and easy to absorb.
6、Sea cucumber. Sea cucumber is rich in nutrients, of which DHA is one of them. In addition, egg yolk also contains trace amounts of DHA.
7, DHA products. There are two kinds in the market: one is extracted from deep-sea fish oil, and the other is extracted from algae. Pregnant women and children should prefer algae DHA products.
Need to supplement dha people
DHA plays an important role in people's life, the following people especially need extra supplementation.
1, pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and children.
2、It is recommended that pregnant women and nursing mothers should take at least 200 mg of DHA per day.
3、It is recommended that infants and children should receive at least 100 mg of DHA per day.
Caution
The human body is not only ineffective but also has side effects when supplementing DHA without lack of DHA. Excessive intake of DHA may lead to low immunity, cellular hyaline lesions, fibrosis, and even cause nerve and block as well as organ damage. Therefore, it is best to take it under the guidance of a nutritionist.
