Is DHA Safe During Pregnancy?
DHA (
docosahexaenoic acid) is currently a popular addition to many
prenatal vitamins. There are even non-prescription DHA supplements designed especially for pregnant women. Is this just the latest trend, or is DHA really beneficial?
DHA and Pregnancy: Is It Really Necessary?
DHA is an essential fatty acid, which means that it must be obtained from the diet.
For a developing fetus, the mother is the only source of DHA. Some experts recommend a daily DHA intake of 300 mg per day, significantly more than most women in the United States consume.
Research suggests that DHA is important for brain and eye development, but it is not entirely clear if taking DHA supplements actually improves mental functioning or vision. Most of the studies in this area have been small, probably too small to make any definite conclusions.
If you and your healthcare provider decide that you should take DHA, be sure to take a supplement designed for pregnant women (to make sure that the DHA is free of heavy metals or toxins that may be found in other DHA supplements). Many
prescription prenatal vitamins now contain DHA (just look for "DHA" in the name), although non-prescription prenatal vitamins lag behind in this trend. If your prenatal vitamin does not contain DHA, you may want to consider adding a non-prescription DHA supplement designed especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women (such as
Expecta® Lipil
®).
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