The Benefits of DHA and ARA @EarthsBest

If you are a formula feeding mom, you may want to know what DHA and ARA are and why we need them in our baby’s formulas. Dr. Austin Abramson,an expert at Earth's Best, provides the answers to all of your questions below and for more details and to read the full article, visit the Earth’s Best website: The Benefits of DHA and ARA.

“DHA and ARA are essential fatty acids. We use the term "essential" because the human body has limited ability to manufacture these fatty acids, so they must be consumed from outside sources. DHA is a "good" fat that is necessary for proper health and development. DHA is found throughout the body, but is especially concentrated in the eye and brain. DHA makes up about 97% of the omega-3 in the brain and 93% of the omega-3 in the eyes.

DHA and ARA are naturally found in breast milk, and transferred to the newborn. At birth the human brain weighs 70% of the weight of an adult human brain. Brain development is complete by age 5-6 years old. DHA and ARA have been demonstrated in multiple studies to improve cognitive and visual scores in children. One study showed that DHA and ARA supplemented infants had a mean increase of 7 points on the Bayley Scale of Infant Development. Other studies have revealed improved visual acuity in infants with DHA and ARA supplementation.

The ability of the human body to produce DHA and ARA is limited and therefore ingestion is the primary source of these important nutrients. Later in life, we get these fatty acids from organ meats and fatty/oily fish. The problem is that the FDA has issued strict restrictions on the amount of fish that should be consumed by pregnant and lactating women because of the concern of ocean borne pollution and contamination.

DHA and ARA in Earth's Best infant formula is a product from a non fish-source. It is manufactured from a vegetarian source. The oil is harvested in vats under strict hygienic and safety protocols. It is not genetically modified and has no contamination from pesticides or heavy metals."

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Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of the Earth’s Best Blogger Program and was provided with product samples in order to facilitate my post. No other form of compensation was received. Regardless, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.