DHA is a fat, or more strictly speaking and essential fatty acid. It is found right through our bodies and more importantly it is the major fat found in our brains. And DHA is essential for proper fetal and infant brain development.
And, as importantly it is found in breast milk.
A developing fetus or baby cannot produce enough DHA in it's own body, so it gets it's supply from it's mother. Before birth they get it from the placenta, and after birth they get it from her breast milk. And for this reason a pregnant or nursing woman is losing some of her supply of DHA every day.
To aid in infant and fetal brain development it is now recommended that moms and moms to be should be taking DHA supplements, or more specifically Omega 3 supplements, because DHA is an essential omega 3 fatty acid. And of course there are other supplements that they should be taking as well, like folic acid.
DHA supplementation is essential for fetal brain and eye development, and other aspects of fetal development.
There are several recommendations for the amount of DHA to be taken each day, recommendations vary around 200 to 300 mg per day. And we are unlikely to get enough DHA, or omega 3 acids, through our diet.
Fish oil is the major, though not the only, source of DHA. Omega 3 fats found in fish are high in DHA. However there are some experts that are suggesting that moms do not take fish oil supplements high in DHA.
The fish at the high end of the food chain contain the most Omega 3 fats and so would be the obvious choice for a supply of DHA, but some experts believe that these fish are contaminated with some pollutants found in the sea like PCBs and mercury, and that mothers shouldn't be exposed to these.
And there are some fish oil supplements that contain some of these heavy metals.
There is in fact a number of different international standards relating to acceptable levels of contamination. But it's better to have no contamination, and luckily there is one company that seeks to achieve this. This company manufactures their omega 3 supplements a standard way higher than any of the international standards. This is good news for moms and soon to be moms, and for any of us, as we should all be taking Omega 3 fish oils supplements for our health.
So there now seems to be little doubt that mothers and pregnant women ought to be taking the best Omega 3 supplements high in DHA, for both their own health and the health and development of their babies.
So it's great news that there are now contamination free Omega 3 supplements available so we can take our Omega 3 fish oil and our DHA worry free.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Why You Ought To Have More Omega 3 In Your Diet
I've been taking omega 3 fish oil supplements for a long time, to me it seems pretty obvious, and the evidence is overwhelming, that our diet is too low in omega 3 fatty acids and we need to introduce more of them in our diet. And that our intake of omega 3 fats is directly linked to our health in so many ways.
However speaking to a friend recently he told me that he wouldn't take supplements. I asked him why, and he told me that supplements are untested, unproven and unscientific. Not mainstream. I thought I'd address that.
Because for many people there is a perception that taking supplements is akin to voodoo. No one really knows what's going to happen if you do.
And there are many people who see dietary supplementation as non medical, something ordinary people ought not do, and somehow "alternative".
So lets see if there is any acceptance of Omega 3 dietary supplementation by mainstream medicine.
Well lets start with the American Heart Association. They say that, I quote here:
"Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of " or who have " cardiovascular disease."
They make recommendations for the intake of Omega 3 fats and suggest that we eat at least a 2 servings of fish a week, and other foods high in Omega oils like soybeans and tofu.
And they are quite specific about people with CHD (coronary heart disease). They should eat at least 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day, and for those who need to lower their triglycerides its suggested that they take from 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA as capsules, doctor supervised.
That's quite clear isn't it. The AHA recognizes the benefits of Omega 3 fats for heart health and suggest lower limits on how much you ought to eat. And they recognize capsules as a form of supply.
Diet is of course a great way to take your Omega 3. But it isn't always quite as easy to take in enough good fats by diet alone, and I'll give you an example of why.
You can get Omega 3 oils in meat. Good old beef and lamb. But not if you buy beef and lamb that is grain fed, because although grass reared beef and lamb has omega 3 fats, grain fed beef and lamb doesn't have much. And ours is grain fed.
So getting enough good fats like omega 3 fats through diet alone isn't as easy as you might expect.
Find the best omega 3 supplements here.
And if you're only prepared to accept dietary supplementation if it's mainstream, then you can't get any more mainstream than the American Heart Association. They don't consider Omega 3 capsules as "alternative" or untested, or they wouldn't recommend them.
However speaking to a friend recently he told me that he wouldn't take supplements. I asked him why, and he told me that supplements are untested, unproven and unscientific. Not mainstream. I thought I'd address that.
Because for many people there is a perception that taking supplements is akin to voodoo. No one really knows what's going to happen if you do.
And there are many people who see dietary supplementation as non medical, something ordinary people ought not do, and somehow "alternative".
So lets see if there is any acceptance of Omega 3 dietary supplementation by mainstream medicine.
Well lets start with the American Heart Association. They say that, I quote here:
"Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of " or who have " cardiovascular disease."
They make recommendations for the intake of Omega 3 fats and suggest that we eat at least a 2 servings of fish a week, and other foods high in Omega oils like soybeans and tofu.
And they are quite specific about people with CHD (coronary heart disease). They should eat at least 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day, and for those who need to lower their triglycerides its suggested that they take from 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA as capsules, doctor supervised.
That's quite clear isn't it. The AHA recognizes the benefits of Omega 3 fats for heart health and suggest lower limits on how much you ought to eat. And they recognize capsules as a form of supply.
Diet is of course a great way to take your Omega 3. But it isn't always quite as easy to take in enough good fats by diet alone, and I'll give you an example of why.
You can get Omega 3 oils in meat. Good old beef and lamb. But not if you buy beef and lamb that is grain fed, because although grass reared beef and lamb has omega 3 fats, grain fed beef and lamb doesn't have much. And ours is grain fed.
So getting enough good fats like omega 3 fats through diet alone isn't as easy as you might expect.
Find the best omega 3 supplements here.
And if you're only prepared to accept dietary supplementation if it's mainstream, then you can't get any more mainstream than the American Heart Association. They don't consider Omega 3 capsules as "alternative" or untested, or they wouldn't recommend them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
