Do I need to supplement DHA during pregnancy?

DHA supplementation is necessary during pregnancy. Supplementing DHA during pregnancy can not only meet the needs of the pregnant woman herself, but also meet the needs of the growing baby. Moreover, the period from 3 months of pregnancy to 6 months after delivery is a golden period for the baby's brain development. At this time, the baby needs a lot of nutrition to meet the physical growth. If DHA is supplemented during pregnancy, the baby's intellectual development level will be very high in the future.

Pregnancy is the golden period for supplementing DHA. The golden period from 3 months of pregnancy to 6 months after delivery is the golden period for baby's brain development. The rate and degree of baby's brain development reaches 70% of that of the adult brain. The DHA needed for fetal brain development is obtained from the mother, and expectant mothers should supplement DHA as early as possible to ensure the quality of breast milk for feeding newborn babies in the future. Research shows that if you supplement with adequate DHA during pregnancy, your baby will have higher intelligence levels in the future.

Is it necessary for pregnant women to take DHA? Many scientists have confirmed that DHA has a direct relationship with the growth and maturation of nerve cells in the human brain and retina, so pregnant women are recommended to supplement DHA appropriately from the fourth month of pregnancy. The DHA content in daily diet is low, so pregnant women can supplement DHA nutritional supplements appropriately.

How many months of pregnancy should you take DHA?

We already know that DHA is essential for the development of fetal intelligence and vision. You can start supplementing DHA in the third month of pregnancy, which can improve the nutritional status, nervous system development, and immune system development of full-term babies. Therefore, pregnant mothers can generally eat it until the baby is 6 months old, because this period is the best time for the baby's brain and retina to develop.

How to supplement DHA for pregnant women

Pregnant women can eat some fish and seafood to supplement DHA. Fish and seafood are undoubtedly the best and most recommended sources of DHA. Fish and seafood not only contain DHA, but also provide high-quality protein, vitamin A, iron, zinc, iodine and other nutrients, and are an important part of the dietary structure during pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters, you should consume 50 to 100 grams of fish and shrimp every day.

Pregnant women can eat foods rich in α-linolenic acid to supplement DHA. You should know that the α-linolenic acid in food can be partially converted into DHA in the body. The foods richest in α-linolenic acid are flaxseed oil and perilla seed oil. Therefore, the edible oils during pregnancy should be diversified, and a portion of flaxseed oil or perilla oil should be added.

Pregnant women can supplement DHA by eating special milk powder for pregnant women. Several special nutrients (such as folic acid, iron, DHA, oligosaccharides, etc.) are added to milk powder for pregnant women to meet the needs of pregnant women. It is generally recommended that pregnant women in the middle and late stages of pregnancy use milk powder for pregnant women.

Pregnant women can take special DHA nutritional supplements to supplement DHA. Various fish oils and algae oils are special DHA nutritional supplements. Some multivitamin and mineral supplements also contain a small amount of DHA.

So, do pregnant women need to supplement DHA? Whether or not to supplement DHA depends on whether you are deficient in it. If your intake is sufficient and you are not deficient in DHA, then you don't need to take supplements. But if it is not enough (due to various factors, in fact most pregnant women cannot consume enough), you have to consider supplementing it. In fact, a reasonable diet can help pregnant women maintain DHA levels, which is beneficial to the health of mother and baby. DHA is converted from unsaturated fatty acids, which are mainly found in deep-sea fish and nuts. Therefore, as long as pregnant women have a balanced diet, a combination of meat and vegetables, a diversified food, eat a moderate amount of nuts every day, and eat some marine fish every week, they can obtain unsaturated fatty acids and allow the body to convert DHA on its own.