Home And Family

DHA prenatal is becoming more and more common. Millions of pregnant women are using a fish oil supplement for the omega 3 fatty acid called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy with the approval of their doctors. They know DHA is essential to their baby’s brain and eyesight.

For any woman looking for the best fish oil for yourself and your baby, here are some tips on choosing prenatal DHA.

DHA is the most powerful of the omega 3 oils found in fatty fish. It makes up a third of the brain’s total weight and is the strongest anti-inflammatory of all omega 3′s.

Heavy metals, especially mercury, and the now-banned plastic ingredient called PCB are toxic chemicals spread widely through the oceans. These toxins become concentrated in the fatty tissue of fish and are dangerous if they are not efficiently removed.

Molecular distillation has become the standard for purifying the oil from fatty fish, the source of DHA. Yet most ordinary omega 3 supplements on the market are still not molecularly distilled.

Pregnant women, the developing fetus, babies and children are all especially vulnerable to any pollutants in omega 3 oils, so be sure you get a DHA oil that’s molecularly distilled.

You really want the purest DHA you can get for yourself and your baby.

Your prenatal DHA also needs to be concentrated. The same oils that are NOT molecularly distilled will also contain only small amounts of DHA, usually just 12 percent, not enough for maximum benefits.

In fact, it would be a good idea to make the amount of DHA one of the most important things you check for in a fish oil supplement.

So purity and concentration are the two key things to know.

See my website for more specifics and recommendations on DHA prenatal sources.