DHA, not just “brain gold” DHA, known as “brain gold”, is a very important polyunsaturated fatty acid for the human body, belonging to the Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid family of important members. In fact, it is not just a nutrient added to health products, it is naturally present in all organs of the human body, and is most concentrated in three parts of the brain, eyes and heart – it is present in up to 20% of the human cerebral cortex and up to 50% in the retina. Just as calcium is essential for strong bones, DHA is a major component of the brain and retina, a major element in the growth and maintenance of cells in the nervous system, and its adequate presence ensures the normal development and function of the brain, retina, heart and other organs of the nervous system. It plays a vital role in the development of human intelligence and vision. Why should we eat from the time we are old? DHA has played an integral role in our lives since we were fetuses in our mothers’ bodies. There is a steady accumulation of research data showing that DHA is important for optimal infant brain, eye and nervous system development – therefore, women who are pregnant and breastfeeding should consume adequate amounts of DHA, especially during late pregnancy when the brain is developing rapidly. DHA supplementation during pregnancy and delivery may promote fetal development in visual clarity, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, concentration, and more mature sleep patterns. In addition, there are benefits for the mother-to-be herself, as it allows for a longer and thus closer to full-term gestation, and also allows the mother to maintain mental health after delivery. In addition, DHA intake is also still needed after the birth of the fetus. An experimental study by the American scholar Baez found that infants supplemented with scientifically proven levels of DHA during the first 4 months of life had an IQ development index 7 points higher at 18 months than those without DHA supplementation; at 4 years of age, the IQ was also 7 points higher. This shows that the advantage in mental development continues even after the DHA supplementation period is over, and well into childhood. In addition, it has also been shown that DHA supplementation has a positive and effective effect on psychomotor skills in children at 2.5 years of age and on attention span in children at 5 years of age. For adults, DHA is also very important and still needs to be supplemented. It has the ability to maintain vision, improve sleep, improve memory and slow down brain aging. It is a beneficial brain maintenance agent especially for modern white-collar workers under high intensity work. It is also effective in curbing and reducing the incidence of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. How do I get DHA? Although our bodies produce small amounts of DHA, it is not enough to meet our health needs, so it is best to get more from food or some nutritional supplements. For example, for DHA supplementation in infancy, breast milk is a very good source, while milk does not contain DHA, so breastfeeding has its natural advantage in this regard. However, the richness of DHA content in mother’s milk also depends on the mother’s own food structure, for example, Japanese mothers eat more fish and their milk has the highest DHA content in the world. In addition, deep-sea high-fat fish such as tuna, salmon, tuna and mackerel are also rich in DHA. α-linolenic acid contained in dried fruits such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts and sesame can also be converted into DHA in the body, but the conversion rate is relatively low (less than 1%). It can be seen that simply getting the necessary DHA from dried fruits is not enough to meet the body’s needs, especially for pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, children and adolescents during the growth period. Recommended DHA intake The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends the appropriate daily intake of DHA for various groups of people – 4 to 18 years old, 90 to 160 mg per day; adults, 160 mg per day; pregnant women, 200 mg per day. In addition, lutein can promote the absorption of DHA in the brain, so pregnant women can supplement DHA with appropriate lutein at the same time.