The Importance of DHA During Pregnancy & Nursing

DHA is a major structural fatty acid in the brain and retina, and is naturally found in breast milk. It is important for a mother to consume adequate amounts of DHA during pregnancy and while nursing to support her well-being and the health of her infant.

DHA for the Developing Infant
  • DHA is important for optimal infant visual and mental development both in utero and throughout infancy.
  • Developing infants cannot produce DHA efficiently, and must receive this vital nutrient from the mother through the placenta during pregnancy and in breast milk after birth.
  • A workshop sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) recommended an intake of 300mg/day of DHA for pregnant and nursing women.
  • On average, pregnant and nursing women in the U.S. consume 60-80mg of DHA a day, only 20-25% of the intake recommended by the NIH/ISSFAL sponsored workshop.
  • Breast milk DHA levels are dependent on the mother’s diet. Because of a low DHA dietary intake, American women reportedly have lower DHA levels in their breast milk than the levels recommended for inclusion in infant formulas by a joint Expert Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
  • Maternal DHA supplementation was shown to increase the mother’s blood and breast milk DHA levels. This, in turn, elevated the blood DHA levels of both the fetus and breast-feeding infant.
  • DHA was cited as the likely component of breast milk influencing the significantly higher cognitive outcomes of breast-fed infants through the first 18-years of life (as compared to non-DHA supplemented formula-fed infants).
  • Higher levels of DHA in breast milk were also associated with an infant‘s ability to easily adjust to changes in surroundings (measured using Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment scale).
  • Infants whose mothers had higher blood DHA levels showed better sleep patterns suggesting greater central nervous system maturity.
  • Maternal DHA supplementation resulted in mental development advantages in children including improved psychomotor development (such as eye-hand coordination) at 2.5 years of age and improved attention skills at 5 years of age.
  • A study using a statistical model of risk-benefit, designed by Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, estimated that increasing maternal DHA intake by 100mg/day increases child IQ by 0.13 points.
DHA for Maternal Well-being
  • DHA supplementation during pregnancy was shown to increase the length of gestation by about six days helping mothers carry to a healthy or full term.
  • Increasing dietary intake of DHA during pregnancy and postpartum may help to support a mother’s emotional well-being.