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Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Brain Development
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an Omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oils, and this fatty acid will aid in the brain development in baby girls born prematurely. A high dose of DHA (500mg daily) was given to lactating mothers or in a formula to babies who were not breastfeed. The baby girls who received the high amounts of DHA had better mental development compared to those who were not supplemented with DHA. Only three of the baby girls who were in the high DHA group experienced mental developmental delay compared to 16 girls in the group that had lower DHA levels. The researchers concluded that high dose supplemental DHA aided brain development in those baby girls born prematurely.
Makrides M, Gibson RA, McPhee AJ, et al. Neurodevelopment outcomes of preterm infants fed high-dose docosahexaenoic acid. JAMA, 2009;301:175-182.