THE ROLE OF DHA FOR CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

19/07/2022 - 551

A baby’s need for DHA begins in the womb. Therefore, during pregnancy, mothers need to eat a lot of fish (bass, tuna, mackerel … and vegetable oil), an important natural source of omega-3 to help bring DHA into the fetus. When born, the source of DHA in breast milk will help the baby develop intellectually.

1. What is DHA?

– DHA has the full name of Docosa Hexaenoic Acid – a fatty acid belonging to the omega-3 group. DHA is necessary for brain development, vision, increasing immunity, reducing the risk of developing allergies in children.
– DHA (Docosa-Hexaenoic-Acid) is an essential unsaturated fatty acid belonging to the group of Omega-3 fatty acids (unsaturated fatty acids with 22 carbons, 6 double bonds, the first double bond at carbon position 3), in addition. In this group, there are also DHA prefixes, which are alpha-linolenic fatty acids (ALA, 18 carbon, 3 double bonds, first double bond at carbon position 3).
– In addition to the omega-3 fatty acids, there are also omega 6 unsaturated fatty acids (Arachidonic acid-AA, 20 carbons, 4 double bonds, the first double bond at the 6th carbon position). These essential unsaturated fatty acids cannot be synthesized by our bodies, but must be obtained from food sources.

2. The role of DHA for children:

– DHA Necessary for the complete development of eye function because DHA accounts for a very high percentage in the retina, where the total command of the eye’s vision.
– DHA is necessary for brain development because DHA accounts for a very high percentage of gray matter (creating intelligence) and creates the sensitivity of neurons, helping to transmit information quickly and accurately. If there is a lack of DHA during development, children will have a low IQ. A follow-up study until children 8-9 years old found that children who were breastfed, and who had a DHA-enriched diet, had an IQ score of 8.3 points higher and a lower rate of neurodevelopmental retardation.

Supplementation with DHA is essential for the development of children

– In addition, DHA has a strong relationship with newborn head circumference, weight and length. An adequate supply of this nutrient can help reduce the incidence of postpartum depression. In utero, the fetus requires a large increase in DHA uptake to correspond with the increased brain DHA intake during pregnancy and in the months following birth. This is proven right at birth, the baby’s brain weight is about 70% of the adult brain’s weight.

3. Supplementing DHA for children

– DHA supplemented early and continuously will bring long-term benefits to the development of children.
– According to a study by WHO/FAO, mothers with young children in developing countries, including Vietnam, supplement too low levels of DHA for their children compared to WHO’s recommended levels, so please diversify your diet. children’s diet, use a variety of foods rich in DHA. According to studies, DHA is found in many different food sources. It is most abundant in animal organs such as liver and fatty fish, including salmon, tuna, herring, sardines, halibut, mackerel, eggs, milk, oily nuts, fish oil for supplements. DHA
– Preterm infants and normal newborns require an adequate supply of DHA because they are not able to convert the DHA precursor from vegetable oils, or other breast milk substitutes to DHA. Breast milk provides enough DHA for babies, so exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and breastfeeding for up to 24 months is important.

DHA helps baby’s brain development

– In special cases where infants are not breastfed, they must choose breast milk substitutes supplemented with the above fatty acids. In the first years of life, children do not eat many foods, especially marine fish – the most DHA-rich foods – due to unpalatable taste. Meanwhile, popular and “favorite” foods of children such as yogurt, cakes, flan, sausages, fried chicken balls… have almost no DHA or at very low levels. It is also possible that due to geographical and regional differences, children do not have the opportunity to access foods rich in DHA. However, too much DHA is also not good because there is a risk of causing cell damage.

– Currently, fish is not the only source of DHA. It can be extracted from plants. The advantage of plant-based DHA will not contain ocean toxins such as lead, mercury but mercury (one of the factors that damage the nervous system of infants and young children). In addition, the plant-based DHA tablets are made in the form of small, tasteless softgels that are easy to swallow and avoid belching when used.

Hopefully the above sharing will be able to help parents have more experience and support to take care of their babies in a better way!

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