What is DHA and how does it help your children?

What is DHA?

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in the brain.

Brain function is affected in various ways, such as transmitting messages throughout the brain and growing new connections for those messages.

The brain is lipid rich-which means it's full of fat!

Approximately half of the brain is made of fat, especially omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

DHA For Kid’s

DHA is essential for brain and eye development and function throughout life, but it is especially important during the first two years and early childhood. From new-born to five years, the human brain increases in mass by approximately 3.5 times! It is critically important for infants and children to consume adequate amounts of DHA during this period of rapid brain development.

Benefit of DHA

• DHA is tied to your child’s future intelligence, or cognition. Cognitive abilities include a variety of brain processes.
• For example, your child’s ability to pay attention and remember what they have learned result from his cognition.
• The cognitive process also involves problem solving, comprehension, reasoning, computation, perception, reading, and speaking.
• The development of cognition in the early years may directly influence your child’s mental abilities, thinking, performance, and future success in school.

Why It’s Important to Provide DHA for Your Children

The average child consumes only 30 to 50mg of DHA per day. It’s not surprising that children consume less DHA than is ideal. The only foods that naturally contain DHA are organ meats and fatty fish, which are not common among young children. It is difficult for parents to ensure that their children get the optimal amount of DHA due to picky, unbalanced eating habits and food allergies.

As awareness of DHA’s continues to grow, more emphasis is being placed on the importance of getting more DHA into young children’s diets. A growing awareness of the dietary sources of DHA and the inclusion of DHA into growing up milk formulas and certain fortified foods are making it easier for people to obtain this vital nutrient from their daily diet.