DHA

The fetus, infant and adult can all convert the omega-3 fatty acid found in plant oils, alpha- linolenic acid (ALA), into docosohexaenoic acid (DHA)—but the rate of this conversion is no more than one percent at all ages and stages of development. DHA may be necessary for the formation of neurons and for the synthesis of the important brain lipid phosphatidylserine; it is also the precursor to an important compound that protects neurons when they are assaulted by oxidative stress. The fetus hoards DHA from the mother and incorporates it into its brain at ten times the rate at which it can synthesize it.41 DHA can be obtained primarily from cod liver oil and fatty fish and in small amounts from grass-fed animal fats.