Preformed dietary DHA: The answer to a scientific question may in practice become translated to its opposite

In a previous issue of AJHB, Carlson and Kingston ([2007]: Am J Hum Biol 19:132-141) raised the question whether modern humans need preformed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from the aquatic food chain in their diet. The authors concluded that at the moment, there is not sufficient hard evidence to answer this scientific question in a positive way. In our comment on their review, we argue that because results from various studies and trials strongly indicate a positive correlation between preformed dietary DHA and human health and development, it may be a risky strategy to await the ultimate evidence before recommending the inclusion of sufficient seafood or fish oil supplements in the modern human diet.