DHA Supplements During Pregnancy

Published on December 21, 2010 in Vitamins & Supplements, Womens Health

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DHA supplements ought to be something to consider when pregnant. DHA, or Docosahexaenoic acid, belongs to the very important omega-3 fatty acids. One question a growing number of expectant mothers have is if they really should be supplementing DHA. Unfortunately, the jury is out on this issue. You won’t notice any clear cut guidelines. With that said, let’s take a closer look at DHA and pregnancy.

There are lots of acids in polyunsaturated fats, both omega-6’s and omega-3’s, which everybody needs to get a nutritious diet. The issue is do women that are pregnant need more than we normally get in your diet. These acids are certainly not routinely obtained in pregnancy vitamins. These acids are composed of plant material, although in our diets we usually get them from animals, free-range cattle, chickens, and also cold water fish. That’s because when these animals eat they store higher and better concentrations of omega-6 and omega-3 efas.

Your baby’s brain growth is at its peak in the third trimester on your pregnancy. DHA is important when it concerns brain function, since it’s the most prevalent omega-3 essential fatty acid in the brain. However, there’s a sort of trade-off between omega-6’s and omega-3’s in one’s diet. More of one translates to diminished amount of another.

Although there is still some uncertainty regarding the importance of omega-3’s and especially DHA in a baby’s development, there does seem like a correlation between preterm birth, preclampsia, and hypertension in birth and lack of omega-3’s with the mother’s diet.

It’s particularly significant that you should talk to your doctor before you start taking DHA supplements while being pregnant. You don’t want to do anything to harm your baby’s health, and letting a family doctor find out what supplements you’re taking is often a key element to prenatal care. Although no one has got the complete response to whether or not it is best to take DHA while pregnant, this might be something you would like to explore.