DHA Supplements Are Essential To Protect Brain Function

In our search for the correct foods, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for us to stay in excellent health, DHA supplements should be at the top of the list. Omega-3 essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA are extremely necessary to our well being, yet our bodies do not produce them on their own so we need to choose foods and supplements that contain these fats. Deep-sea coldwater fatty fish such as herring, salmon, hoki, and tuna have high concentrations of these essential fatty acids.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is considered one of the most valued components of the omega-3 fatty acids. Scientists label this the most beneficial fatty acid for the human body as it has 22 carbon bonds and the body can convert DHA to EPA when needed by dropping off two carbon bonds. In contrast, EPA is more difficult to be converted to DHA as it only has 20 carbon bonds.

The brain consists of sixty percent fat, with almost half of that being DHA. This essential fat is crucial for proper brain growth and functional development in fetuses and young babies.

It continues to be a vital necessity for supporting normal brain function in adults. These fats serve as an integral part of the healthy formation of the brain’s nerve cell membranes and membrane fluidity.

Researchers from a Swedish study undertaken in 2006 at the Kaolinska Institute in Stockholm concluded that consuming DHA supplements can cut the rate of mental decline in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Similar studies have determined that people who regularly added these omega-3 rich oils to their diet had a sixty percent less chance of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These findings are very encouraging and continue to give us hope that one day this disease may be completely eradicated.

Another area of study that has shown very positive results in regard to DHA supplements is how it relates to depression. Joseph Hibbeln, MD, from the National Institutes of Health, reports that their research confirms people who consume fish oil on a regular basis, whether by dining on fish or by taking it in the concentrated form in a capsule, are less apt to have problems with depression.

He goes on to explain that it may be because omega-3 fatty acids with DHA supplements elevate serotonin and dopamine levels, two brain chemicals that play a vital role in depression. Other researchers have found that patients already suffering from despondency and hopelessness showed marked improvement after increasing their intake of fish oil supplements. Further studies have indicated that these nutrients seem to lower levels of brain chemicals that cause anxiety and stress.

Fish oil is the best known source of omega-3 fats, but be aware that not all fish oil capsules are alike. When you purchase omega-3 dietary supplements, be sure that you are getting sufficient amounts of DHA supplements in the capsules. Many companies that produce omega-3s will use more EPA because it takes less effort to manufacture, which will also be less expensive, but they fail to include much of the most needed kind of omega-3, the DHA.

Elizabeth Ruby is passionate about good health and is a firm believer in taking quality nutritional supplements. She has extensively researched Omega 3 fatty acids for optimal health. Check out her web site at http://www.omega-3-health.com/ to find out how she keeps her mind and body young and active, functioning fully with the help of Omega 3 Fish Oil.