A Lifetime of Good Health

Lifestage 1 (Infancy/Childhood)

[ Infancy and Childhood | Asthma and Allergies | Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Hyperactivity (ADHD) | Depression (Adults) ]

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When babies are developing during the last third of pregnancy, the brain and nervous system begins accumulating DHA, one of the long chain Omega-3s found in oily fish. DHA is a critical component for building brain tissue, for nerve growth and for the retina in the eye. Before birth, babies get the DHA they need from their mother (see Lifestage 2). After birth they obtain it from breast milk.

Supplies of DHA to the baby are most plentiful if the nursing mother eats plenty of fish. Bottle-fed babies may not get any Omega-3s if their formula is not enriched with polyunsaturates including DHA. Until quite recently, such baby milks did not contain any added long chain polyunsaturates (LCPs). Studies have shown that the brains of bottle-fed babies have lower DHA levels than the brains of babies that were breast-fed. Bottle-fed babies probably have less DHA in their nervous tissue than breast-fed babies and their eye development may also be delayed. Premature infants have less DHA in their tissues than full-term infants. These babies can "catch-up" if they are fed breast milk or supplemented formula feed.