New Recommendations: 200 mg per day of DHA Omega-3 for Pregnant and Nursing Women

Pregnant women should aim for a DHA omega-3 intake of at least 200mg a day, according to an article titled, Recommendations and Guidelines for Perinatal Medicine published in the February issue of the Journal for Perinatal Medicine. The recommendations were developed by a team of experts at a meeting of the European Expert Committee on LCPUFAs in Perinatology that was supported by a grant from Martek Biosciences.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women can ensure their babies get enough DHA by eating a diet rich in DHA. Women can meet the recommended intake of DHA during pregnancy by eating one to two portions of low-mercury fatty fish per week. A good alternative to fish is to take vegetarian DHA supplements from algae or to eat foods fortified with vegetarian DHA. Women who are unable or choose not to breastfeed should look for infant formula which includes the recommended levels of DHA and AA.

The recommendations also advise:

• DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 should be added to infant formula at the recommended levels of between 0.2% and 0.5% of fatty acids to ensure optimum eye and brain development in babies who are formula-fed.
• Infant formula should be supplemented with AA in amounts at least equal to the amount of DHA
• EPA, another omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and fish oil, should be limited to amounts no greater than the amount of DHA
• Dietary intake of DHA and ARA should continue during the second six months of life, but experts do not have enough information to recommend exact amounts
• Pregnant women should aim for a DHA intake of at least 200mg a day

The recommendations were developed with the support of The World Association of Perinatal Medicine, Child Health Foundation and Early Nutrition Foundation. The expert team included leading experts in child health and perinatal medicine from 11 countries, including UK, the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland and Chile.
The main dietary source of DHA is fatty fish. AA is found in foods such as meat, eggs and milk. While most women typically consume enough AA in their diets, those who consume a typical Western diet are at risk for low stores of DHA. This may be because fatty fish is not a staple of the typical Western diet. Additionally, expert bodies have advised pregnant and nursing women to limit their fish consumption due to the potentially high levels of toxins such as mercury.

Trusted, sustainable and vegetarian sources of DHA and AA can be found in life’sDHA™ and life’sAA™ from Martek Biosciences. Martek’s life’sDHA and life’sAA can be found in a range of prenatal supplements, foods and beverages, and infant formulas. More than 30 million infants worldwide have been fed infant formulas containing Martek’s life’sDHA and life’sAA.

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