Chapter Six

TAKING DHA

Q: What foods naturally provide DHA?

A: The best food sources of DHA and EPA are cold water, fatty fish. For instance, a four ounce serving of Atlantic salmon provides about 400 mg of DHA and 100 mg of EPA. Other fish high in DHA include anchovies, herring, saury, albacore / bluefin tuna, and lake whitefish. Avoid excessive cooking of such foods, as excessive heat destroys DHA. Frying, a popular form of preparing fish, is possibly the worst cooking method, because the extremely high heat of the oil accelerates free-radical oxidation and destroys the DHA. Moreover, much DHA may leach out into the oil and be lost. The best way to cook fish is by steaming it. Just ten minutes in a steamer is all that's needed to cook it.

For vegetarians, seaweed such as dried spirulina is a good source. Spinach, soybeans, common beans, black gram, butternuts and English / Persian walnuts are also good sources of DHA and EPA.

Q: What is the RDA for DHA?

A: DHA has no United States Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA), which is established only for essential nutrients. Since it is not an essential fatty acid, the body can (under the best conditions) make enough of it by itself. However, as we have seen, in many special situations, the need for DHA is substantially greater than normal. Moreover, the enzymes responsible for forming DHA in many individuals may simply not be efficient enough to produce the required amount. For these reasons, getting DHA from the diet makes sense.

Q: How much DHA should I take?

A: The recommended amounts of DHA for certain people were given throughout the previous chapters. Here, we summarize them in the following table.

A: DHA is simply a fatty acid. The average American diet contains 50 - 80 g of fat a day (50,000 - 80,000 mg!). Most of that is in the form of saturated fats, which is much more detrimental to health. It is very unlikely anyone could possibly ingest an equivalent amount of DHA a day. Like any fat, DHA is a source of calories, specifically, 8 calories per gram. Taking a relatively "large" dose of 5 g of DHA would add only 40 calories to the diet. Moreover, the body can absorb only so much fat at one time, and the rest passes through undigested.

It is true, however, that people who subsist on very large amounts of fish, such as the Alaskan Eskimos who's daily fish oil intake is in fact around 50 - 80 grams, do have thinner blood than non-fish eating people. This has helped them to avoid heart problems as a population, but they do seem to be more prone to strokes. Whether this is directly due to their high fish oil diet or a genetic predisposition is unclear.

Q: Why do I need extra antioxidants when taking DHA?

A: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: when taking DHA or any fish oils, you need extra antioxidant nutrients, such as Vitamin E. The reason is because DHA is a very unsaturated fatty acid, making it more susceptible to free radical damage. Studies have found that increasing fish oil intake without extra antioxidants leads increased free radical activity as measured in the blood. Hence, experts suggest that for every extra gram of unsaturated fatty acids consumed, at least 10 IU of Vitamin E needs to be simultaneously taken. For instance, if you take 2 g of DHA, you would need to also take at least 20 IU of Vitamin E at the same time. Of course, many people already supplement with much more Vitamin E than that, so as long as you are also taking extra Vitamin E, you should have enough to prevent extra free radical damage.

Q: When is the best time of day to take DHA?

A: Because DHA is a fatty acid, the best time to take it is shortly after a meal containing some fat. It is harder for the body to digest and absorb fats, and the presence of more fats in the stomach activates processes which encourage fat absorption. If you swallow a DHA capsule with merely a glass of water, there may not be enough fatty substances in that capsule to activate your fat-absorbing mechanisms. Rather, taking DHA after a well-balanced meal with a substantial fatty content will help engage your digestive system to its most efficient degree, encouraging your body to absorb it.

Q: Are all DHA products on the market alike?

A: No, they are not. Substantial differences may exist in the processing, handling, storing, and testing of the product. While these differences may not substantially affect other supplements, it may make a huge difference in DHA. The delicate nature of DHA makes it very susceptible to free radical damage, which can easily occur by improper manufacturing methods. You should choose only a company which demands the most stringent quality controls at every stage of producing its DHA. The DHA originally came from fish or algae, and the extraction process must be carefully controlled to prevent excessive heat or exposure to air, which encourage oxidation. Likewise, the handling and storage of the capsules should be in a dry, cool environment. Finally, regular testing to insure maximum DHA and minimum free radical by-products should be an integral part of the quality control process. Any reputable company should gladly furnish copies of such testing results, as well as an outline of its manufacturing process, upon your request.

Q: Where should I keep my DHA supplements?

A: A good place to keep your DHA is in the refrigerator, especially if you have bottles of fish oil. If your DHA starts to smell excessively "fishy", throw it away. That's a good sign it's rancid. Don't try to save yourself a few dollars by finishing an obviously rancid fish oil product. Not only will it taste awful, but you'll be introducing a source of free radicals into your body, which is what you least need. On the other hand, a very slight fish smell is natural.

A printed expiration date on the bottle is a good guideline, but don't rely on it too much. For instance, if the bottle was incorrectly handled and stored, the product may go bad well before the printed date. Or, if carefully stored in a refrigerator, it may last well beyond what's normally expected. Most people were born with an excellent sense of smell, which nature designed to detect rancid foods, so often, your nose will be the best judge. If it smells bad, it probably is!

Q: Are flax-oil products good substitutes for DHA?

A: Flax oil is an excellent source of ALA (alpha linolenic acid), an essential omega-3 fatty acid. Under the best conditions, the body can covert ALA into EPA and subsequently into DHA. Enzymes are needed for the conversion, and sometimes these enzymes are not as efficient as they can be. In fact, we have considered how certain people simply lack the enzymes needed for making DHA, and for them, DHA becomes essential. We also considered evidence that very little EPA was converted into DHA, and that actually, the reverse process, retroconversion of DHA into EPA, often dominated. For these reasons, it makes sense to take already formed DHA from fish, and not ALA from flax. Perhaps flax oil holds other benefits which make it a good supplement, but if your goal is to get DHA, the most efficient way is to take DHA itself.