Called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), it is the primary structural fatty acid in the retina of the eye and the gray matter of the brain. (DHA, which is an omega-3 long-chain fatty acid, is unrelated to DHEA, which is a hormone.) That explains why adequate levels of DHA are required for proper brain and eye development and function. In fact, about 60% of the brain is made of fats, of which DHA is the most abundant. Initially, we obtain DHA fetally through the placenta; after birth, we get DHA from breast milk, then later from dietary sources such as fish (tuna, salmon, and sardines), red meats, animal organs, and eggs.

However, with the general decline in consumption of animal foods in North America, there is concern that one result may be inadequate DHA consumption. As evidence of this, in 1996 alone, at least 207 technical papers explored DHA's role in nutrition and health, according to David J. Kyle, Ph.D., a research and development vice president with Martek Biosciences Corporation in Columbia, Maryland.

"Because DHA is important for signal transmission in the brain, eye, and nervous system, many Americans concerned with maintaining mental acuity are searching for a pure, safe way to supplement their DHA levels." Dr. Kyle notes that until recently, this source was fish oils, but with Martek's release of Neuromins^TM, DHA is now available in capsule form from a single nutrient source: microalgae, the fish's original source. According to Martek, this vegetable oil form of DHA "closely matches" the DHA found in human breast milk.

DHA is believed to assist nerve cells in the brain, retina, and elsewhere in the nervous system in sending messages to other cells by way of electrical current. "DHA assures the optimal flexibility of nerve cell membranes essential for the transmission of these signals," says Dr. Kyle. He adds that low levels of DHA have been linked with deficits in brain function, such as mood changes, memory loss, visual impairment, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer's.

In the matter of depression, Joseph R. Hibbeln, M.D., and Norman Salem Jr., researchers with the National Institutes of Health, stated that the documented steady increase in the incidence of depression in the past 100 years may be correlated with declining DHA consumption levels (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995).

"Relative deficiencies in [omega-3] essential fatty acids [such as DHA] may also intensify vulnerability to depression," as well as depressive symptoms in alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, and post-partum depression, they said. "We postulate that adequate long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly DHA, may reduce the development of depression," concluded Hibbeln and Salem. A Swedish study (Lipids, 1991) showed that patients with Alzheimer's had lower brain DHA levels than healthy adults of the same age. A separate British study similarly found that lower levels of essential fatty acids, including DHA, were positively correlated with Alzheimer's.

Research also demonstrates convincingly that it is essential for pregnant women to maintain adequate DHA levels for the sake of a healthy infant. The DHA content of the fetal brain increases three to five times during the last three months of pregnancy, then triples again during the first 12 weeks after birth.

The developing infant, receiving nutrition through the mother's placenta, and the newborn infant, being nourished by breast milk, depend on adequate DHA levels for proper brain and eye development. For example, a Danish study of 17 breast-fed infants (versus 16 formula-fed babies) showed that those infants who were fed breast milk high in DHA or DHA-enriched formula had a more rapid development of visual acuity (Lipids, 1996). An Australian study (also in Lipids, 1996) made it clear that infants who were breast-fed (thereby acquiring DHA from the mother) had greater levels of DHA in their brain than infants fed only formula.

However, studies suggest that the DHA level of breast milk of U.S. women is among the lowest in the world, indicating that DHA fortification might be desirable. Australian researchers (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1996) showed that the effects of DHA supplementation are readily observable. They had lactating mothers take an oil containing 43% DHA for 12 weeks immediately after giving birth. They found that DHA levels in the breast milk increased directly in a "strong and specific" proportion to the amount (dose) of DHA the mothers took.

American scientists enrolled 15 pregnant women to eat sardines and take fish oil (containing 1 g of DHA) for nine weeks during the third trimester of their pregnancy compared to a control group of 16 women who received neither (Lipids, 1996). The benefits of DHA supplementation were readily apparent in the newborn infants. Those infants whose mothers had received DHA had 35.2% more DHA in their red blood cells and 45.5% more in their plasma (the fluid portion of blood). The study results showed the importance of the mother maintaining high dietary DHA levels for "promoting higher concentrations of DHA in the blood of the newborn infant."

According to Martek Biosciences, one capsule daily (100 mg) of Neuromins™ (or 200 mg of Neuromins™ for pregnant or lactating women) is recommended to normalize DHA blood levels over the course of two weeks, particularly for those who do not regularly eat fish or take fish oils. According to Alan Lucas, M.D., of the British Medical Research Council in London, England, the IQs of children (aged 18 months to 15 years) who received standard formula were on average eight points lower than those infants who were breast-fed and thereby nourished with DHA (Lancet, 1992). IQ™ is Neuromins packaged for Royal BodyCare®.

At least six studies demonstrated that infants fed DHA-enriched formula had measurably more acute eyesight (equivalent to one line on an eye chart) than infants who had formula without DHA.

A study involving 41 students who took up to 1.8 g daily of DHA for three months (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 1996) showed that the substance produced a marked calming effect during times of mental stress, such as exams. The effect was measured in terms of how much aggressive behavior students exhibited towards one another when under stress. The researchers speculated that this calming effect may explain how DHA (and fish oils in general) can help prevent heart disease, which is made worse, or possibly initiated, by chronic stress.

DHA deficiencies starting in childhood may contribute to problems later in life, such as hyperactivity. Researchers at Purdue University studied 53 subjects with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and found they had "significantly lower concentrations" of key fatty acids in their blood (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995). The researchers also reported another study of 48 children with ADHD who were markedly deficient in DHA.

In addition to its documented benefits, DHA may have a preventive value as well when taken as a regular supplement or "brain food." Keeping a mentally sharp edge throughout life is of keen interest to many. Dr. Kyle cites a 1996 poll of 800 Americans by the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington, D.C. Staying mentally sharp as they grow older was more important to people (36%) than avoiding physical disability (20%) or preventing changes in physical appearance (6%). The study showed that women (40%) were more concerned about losing mental sharpness and memory than men (32%).

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