by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Pregnancy

Here?s the latest news on what probably won?t make your kid smarter: Taking DHA supplements while you?re pregnant and giving your baby infant formula containing DHA.
DHA ? short for docosahexaenoic acid ? is an Omega-3 fatty acid necessary for babies? brain and eye development. Moms pass DHA to their babies in the womb and through breastmilk. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant and nursing women get DHA from food by consuming 2 servings of low-mercury fish or shellfish each week.
Frequently, DHA is added to infant formula and prenatal vitamins, and can also be found in fish oil and Omega 3 supplements. But it?s not clear whether DHA in supplement form has the same benefits as DHA from food. Two recent studies cast significant doubt on the idea ? frequently marketed by manufacturers ? that DHA in formula or prenatal vitamins can increase babies? intelligence.
The studies are:
1. A review of 15 clinical trials studying the effects of DHA in infant formula on the brain development of almost 2,000 children. The reviewers found no evidence that children fed infant formula enriched with DHA as babies had better eyesight or were smarter than those who consumed formula without DHA.
2. An Australian study on prenatal DHA supplements involving 800 women and their children. Researchers randomly supplied women with either a daily DHA supplement or a placebo during the last half of pregnancy. Then th...