Omega 3 and Infants
DHA is essential for normal eye and brain development An inadequate supply of DHA (in some cases also ARA) during
CNS development gives cause for concern because of possible long-term effects on visual and cognitive functions.
Some researchers also suggest that DHA deficiencies during this rapid period of development cause irreversible
damage to the brain and nerve tissue. Since fetuses and newborns have improper enzyme system to elongate alfa-linolenic
acid to DHA, they must rely on the pre-formed DHA in the mothers milk (or alternatively - DHA supplemented milk
formula).
Preterm
The intrauterine accretion of DHA (and ARA) is vital for the growth and development of the infant. Preterm infants
and babies with intrauterine growth retardation are often born with deficiencies of these fatty acids. DHA deficiencies
have shown to lead to visual dysfunction and suppressed mental and psycomotoric development, whereas it has been
suggested that decreased ARA-levels in blood reflect slightly suppressed growth (Carlson et al, 1993). There is
no doubt that DHA is essential for the preterm baby or even that short term DHA supplementation influences visual
acuity at age of 12 months. It has been suggested that DHA supplementation (0.2% DHA) increases the speed of visual
processing in preterm infants (Carlson et al, 1995). It is currently recommended to fortify preterm formula with
DHA and ARA in amounts of: 60-100mg ARA/kg bodyweight/day and 35-75mg DHA/kg bodyweight/day (ISSFAL Board meeting
1994).
Term
Healthy, term infants fed breast milk (containing on average 0.2%DHA of total fatty acids) are known to have better
visual function and higher DHA levels in their blood than those fed standard milk formula (without DHA). A positive
correlation has been observed between erythrocyte DHA and the visual acuity. The higher content of DHA in the brain
of breast fed infants may also explain why they have better neural development compared to formula fed infants.
Formulas enriched with ARA (0.44%) and DHA (0.3%) gave a developmental score (DS) similar to those seen in infants
who were breast fed for 4 months. Infants on DHA rich diets scored significantly better on DS than infants on standard
formulas (without long chain PUFAs) (Agostini et al, 1995). Formulas containing alpha-linolenic acid do not seem
to maintain DHA-levels in blood of the newborn at amounts comparable to human milk fed infants. Where breast feeding
is not possible, it has been suggested that a daily minimum of 30mg DHA (approx 0.2g/100g fatty acids) should be
added to the formula to prevent cortical deficiencies of DHA (Farguharson et al, 1993). The EU-Directive on infant
formula (1995) specifies that if long chained omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are added, they should not exceed
1% of the total fatty acids, and that EPA levels should be lower than DHA-levels.
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