Maximize Your Brain Power: DHA
The Building Block of the Brain
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is a fatty acid—in precise terms, an omega-3 (long-chain) fatty acid—which is the main structural fatty acid in the gray matter of the brain and retina of the eye. The brain is 60 percent lipids (fat), and DHA is the most abundant lipid in both the brain and the retina. It is essential for brain and eye function.
Humans obtain DHA initially through the placenta, then from breast milk, and later on through dietary sources such as fish (tuna, salmon, sardines, etc.), or cod liver oil, red meats, animal organ meats and eggs. Now the purest and least compromised source of this fatty acid is extracted from ocean-dwelling microalgae.
An important conference on DHA was held in New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, entitled “Keeping Your Brain in Shape: New Insights into DHA.” The researchers explained how DHA:
- In low levels correlates with changes in disposition, memory loss, and other neurological conditions.
- Helps prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and memory loss in the elderly.
- Helps reduce or eliminate symptoms/behaviors related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and to hostility/aggression in criminals. Boys with ADHD had significantly lower concentrations of DHA.
- Ensures proper prenatal and postnatal infant neurological development.
- Helps prevent coronary heart disease.
- Helps prevent depression, and more.
- Studies show that pregnant women taking DHA benefit from supplementation. Infants rely on their mothers to supply DHA for the development of their brain and eyes, initially through the placenta, and then through breast milk. It appears to be passed on to the unborn child for use in brain, neural and retinal development.
- DHA could be helpful for neurological conditions: multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, tardive dyskinesia, zellweger’s disease, and batten’s disease.
Most of us have heard about Ginkgo biloba and how it improves memory, but many of us are unaware of the incredible array of benefits being ascribed to DHA. One of the richest sources is cod liver oil. Each tablespoon contains 450 to 500 mg of DHA. Look for Twinlab Emulsified Cod Liver Oil (emulsified means water soluble) for easier assimilation. There are new products with DHA but compare their potency and cost to cod liver oil. It is available at your nutrition store.
