A telephone poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid surveyed 600 new Canadian mothers to discover that close to one third of them were unknowledgeable about DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid known to promote cognitive and visual development in babies.
"Research shows that DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid) is required in high levels in the brain and eye retina to aid with normal development, which is particularly critical for infants," stated Dr. Peter Nieman, pediatrician and clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary.
Since the human body cannot produce sufficient amounts of DHA, babies obtain the fatty acid through their mother’s breast milk. The quantity of DHA can vary depending on the mother’s dietary consumption of the nutrient.
Infant formulas, which are also enriched with DHA, can be given to babies who are not breastfeeding, however, the levels of DHA in different formulas can vary.