What Is DHA & What Does It Do?
By Jackie Cartier
April 3, 2017
Omega-3 DHA, you may have heard it mentioned on Dishing Up Nutrition and thought to yourself, “What is omega-3 DHA?”
In short, DHA is one of the main components of the omega-3 essential fatty acid. DHA makes up 60 percent of the fat in your brain, which is pretty incredible considering 70% of your brain is made of fat to begin with. To learn which fats are good and which aren’t for your brain health, check out this blog post.
Signs of DHA Deficiency
How do you know if you need DHA? What signs will your body give you? Research shows that depression, anxiety, poor memory and visual problems have all been correlated to low levels of DHA. This might explain why people who supplement their diets with DHA show improvements in learning and memory and experience less anxiety and depression. DHA is an important building block for brain cell membranes and for receptor functions that allow your cells to communicate.
Another sign you need DHA, is a growing baby bump. DHA is very important when you’re pregnant, since babies in the womb depend on DHA for brain and eye development, specifically the retina. Food first is our motto at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, and the best food sources of DHA include fatty fish like salmon or sardines, free range eggs, and grass-fed meat. However, most of us simply don’t get enough DHA in our diets, so we can benefit from a DHA supplement.
The source of DHA in the NutriKey DHA-200 supplement is algae grown in cold water along the coast of Norway. This is a vegetarian source, and it doesn’t leave a fishy aftertaste.Please note that while supplementing with DHA you don’t need to take fish oil.
Brain and Eye Health
To support your brain health, our nutritionists recommend starting with three DHA-200 softgels. Spread these throughout the day with one softgel at each meal.
To support your eyes or if you have a family history of eye problems, particularly macular degeneration, our nutritionists recommend three DHA-200 softgels. DHA is also helpful if you have dry eyes.
DHA is one of the most important and powerful nutrients for brain and eye health. Clinically, we have found that DHA is a superior type of fatty acid for these health conditions.
References
Cardoso C, Afonso C, Bandarra NM. Dietary DHA and health: cognitive function ageing. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2016;29(2):281-294.
Schaefer EJ, Bongard V, Beiser AS, et al. Plasma phosphatidylcholine docosahexaenoic acid content and risk of dementia and alzheimer disease: The framingham heart study. Arch Neurol. 2006;63(11):1545.
Yurko-Mauro K, McCarthy D, Rom D, et al. Beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Alzheimer's & Dementia. 2010;6(6):456-464.
