What are DHA and ARA good for?
DHA supports brain and cognitive development, mental adaptability and problem solving, visual development, attention and information processing10,11,12,13,16 while ARA may play a role in supporting development of a healthy immune system, bone formation, blood flow and blood vessel function.
What is ARA and DHA?
DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid and ARA stands for arachidonic acid. These are long-chain fatty acids. You may also be familiar with DHA as being a form of omega-3-fatty acid.
What is ARA in milk?
Arachidonic acid (ARA) is the most predominant long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in human milk, albeit at low concentrations as compared to other fatty acids. It occurs predominantly in the triglyceride form and to a lesser extent as milk fat globule membrane phospholipids.
Why is DHA and ARA added to formula?
A supply of these fatty acids in infant formula (typically following breast milk as a model with ARA > DHA) is thought to be important since endogenous synthesis is insufficient to maintain tissue levels equivalent to breast-fed infants.
Can I add DHA to formula?
Studies from the 1990s found that formula-fed infants had lower levels of brain DHA than breast-fed infants and suggested that adding DHA to formula improved cognitive and vision development.
Does DHA Make babies Smarter?
In infants, DHA is important for optimal visual and cognitive development. The usual intake of DHA among toddlers and children is low and some studies show improvements in cognition and behavior as the result of supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids including DHA.
What is the role of ARA?
ARA serves as a precursor to leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes, collectively known as eicosanoids which are important for immunity and immune response. There is strong evidence based on animal and human studies that ARA is critical for infant growth, brain development, and health.
How do babies get DHA?
Babies get their DHA from breast milk and/or formula, and from complementary foods once they have reached the appropriate age to introduce solid foods into their diet. If you’re breastfeeding, chat with your doctor about how you can incorporate more DHA into your diet. Some sources of DHA may include: Salmon.
Does breastmilk contain DHA?
DHA is naturally found in the breast milk of mothers who eat fish, eggs, and red meat. It is critical for the growth and development of your baby’s brain and nervous system, especially since your baby’s brain grows very quickly in his first year of life and triples in size by his first birthday.
What is Ara made from?
Docosahexaenoic acid, better known as DHA, and arachidonic acid, better known as ARA, are fatty acids found in breast milk, as well as in some foods, like fish and eggs. (Fatty acids combine to make fat molecules.)
Does Similac have DHA?
Similac Advance is an iron-fortified, milk-based formula that includes docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—an omega-3 fatty acid—lutein and vitamin E to better support infant neurodevelopment.