DHA Omega-3 for Every Age and Every Stage of Life

Are You Getting the "Big 3" Every Day?

The "Big 3" — folic acid, calcium with vitamin D and DHA omega-3 — are important building blocks for a healthy diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

• Folic acid is a B vitamin important for healthy cells and may reduce your baby's risk of a brain or spinal birth defect.
• Calcium with vitamin D is essential for your baby's development and your long-term health. It promotes strong bones and teeth and supports a healthy heart, nerves and muscles for your baby.
• DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that supports brain, eye and nervous system development and function, as well as heart health. DHA supports a healthy pregnancy, and aids in the mental and visual development of your infant.

Overlooking DHA?

You know the importance of folic acid and calcium with vitamin D, but you may not be familiar as with DHA omega-3. It could be the most important perinatal nutrient women don't know about.

Scientific evidence shows that DHA omega-3 is an important nutrient for your developing baby. During pregnancy, you need an adequate supply to pass along to your baby through the placenta. The amount of DHA that is transferred to your baby depends upon the amount you consume in your diet. This is because DHA omega-3 is a nutrient that your body does not make in sufficient enough quantities to support the optimal growth and development of your baby.

After birth, your baby can get DHA through breast milk (DHA levels are diet dependent) or DHA and ARA (arachidonic acid) fortified infant formula. Over 90% of formulas sold in the US are fortified with DHA/ARA.

In order to support your baby’s needs, one expert group recommends that pregnant and nursing women consume a minimum of 200mg of DHA/day.¹ On average though, pregnant and nursing women in the U.S. consume 52mg of DHA/day, which is about 25% of this recommended intake.² Including DHA in the diet is the most reliable way to ensure that DHA is available to support optimal infant brain and eye development and function. Unfortunately, only certain fatty fish and organ meats are good sources of DHA. And, pregnant women are warned to limit their consumption of several types of fish due to methyl mercury contamination.¹