[Perinatal benefits and recommendations of docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2025

Enzymatic Synthesis of Epoxidized Metabolites of Docosahexaenoic, Eicosapentaenoic, and Arachidonic Acids
Published on: June 28, 2019
Karla Xcaret Cervantes-De Celis1, Raquel Fuentes-Montoya1, Mariela Bernabe-García1
1Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Hospital de Pediatría "Dr. Silvestre Frenk Freund", Unidad de Investigación Médica en Nutrición. Ciudad de México, México.
Background:
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are fatty acids, part of the human milk composition. Their concentrations depend on maternal diet and endogenous supply, but recommended levels are not often reached.
Objective:
Support with evidence the DHA and AA benefits and recommendations for the infant, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Material And Methods:
Narrative review. Search was made using the keywords: recomendaciones, inflamación, inmunidad, ácidos grasos, omega-3, DHA, leche materna, pretérmino, embarazo, recién nacido, suplementación; as well LC-PUFA, human milk, preterm, immunity, DHA, pregnancy, supplementation, recommendations, from 2020-2024; if there was no information in this period, the up-to-date reference was reported.
Results:
DHA recommendations during pregnancy and breastfeeding: 200-450 mg/day; if the DHA tissue reserve was low in pregnancy, administer 1,000 mg/day. In the preterm infant: 30-100 mg of AA/kg/day; 30-65 mg of DHA/kg/day. Infant 7-23 months 100 mg of DHA/kg/day. Covering the supply through food or supplements during gestation and after birth improves the development and functioning of the immune, brain, and visual systems in the child, modulates the inflammatory response, and reduces the risk of premature birth and neonatal diseases.
Conclusion:
Assuring the DHA and AA supply promotes optimal development and may prevent diseases in the infant.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-derived Compounds in the Human Body
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, are required in minimal quantities, but their deficiencies can lead to severely abnormal physiological conditions. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, dry skin,...
Lipids: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Structure of Lipids
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...
Parental Care
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...

