We’re all in the same boat; we want to be faster, stronger, and more efficient. Every day, we go fishing for the things that will satisfy our hunger to improve ourselves. Some days, we turn up empty. Not today.
Meet the catch of the day: DHA. One dose of this brain-boosting omega-3, and you’ll be hooked.
DHA and EPA: The Omegas
DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid (doh-COH-soh-hex-OHN-ick), is an omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon, mackerel, anchovies, and other fatty fish.
There are two omega fat types: omega-3s and omega-6s. Omega-3s are the notorious heart-healthy fats found in the highest quantity in fish, but they’re also in walnuts, chia seeds, and other nutty nibbles. Omega-6s are more abundant in the American diet staples: poultry, eggs, and soybean oil.
Your body can only make low levels of these omegas on its own, so to get enough DHA, you’ll have to consume the bulk of these essential fatty acids through food or supplements.
Fast Fat Facts
Before we dive into the deep end of DHA 's health benefits, we have to talk about dietary fats on a larger scale. Omega-3s (like DHA) and omega-6s (like arachidonic acid) are polyunsaturated fats, meaning they have multiple double bonds in their chemical structure.
The “good” polyunsaturated fats sporting multiple double bonds like to stay loose, often retaining a liquid texture at room temperature: picture soybean, sunflower, and flaxseed oils. The “bad” saturated fats do not have these double bonds; instead, they are saturated with hydrogen molecules, giving them a solid texture at room temperature. Think creamy butter, rich cheeses, and fatty cuts of beef.
Saturated fats are often referred to as the “bad fats” because they introduce Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) into your bloodstream. “Low density” sounds innocent, right? Wrong. Imagine tiny hands on the end of these lipoproteins, called Apo-B receptors. These hands are looking for other hands that know their special little handshake. Unfortunately, our arterial walls know the secret handshake and also have these Apo-B receptors. So when these bad boys travel in our bloodstream, our arteries grab onto them and don’t want to let go, they start clogging, and the atherosclerotic process begins.
Enter the polyunsaturated fats: these stimulate the production of High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs).
HDLs can reduce the build up of fats in arteries by picking up LDL deposits in our arteries and taking them to the liver to be eliminated.
Targeting LDLs through the inclusion of HDLs in your diet may help you slow the atherosclerotic process to better protect your heart.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Clogged arteries and heart health go hand in hand. Or rather, fin in fin; DHA-filled fish oil has a lengthy list of potential cardiovascular benefits.
Heart Disease
Because DHA is an omega-3 of the polyunsaturated family of fats, it introduces the magical HDLs in the bloodstream to help slow the arterial build-up of fats and cholesterol. While atherosclerosis can affect arteries anywhere in the body, it is primarily considered to be a heart problem because of the dangerous plaque that can form on the coronary arteries leading to the heart.
Though DHA and EPA are often combined in research on omega-3s and heart health, DHA has proven itself a better catch by decreasing blood triglycerides (i.e. the “bad” fats) at a 2% greater margin than EPA.
Similarly, DHA can increase the “good” HDL cholesterol levels, while EPA may decrease these levels.
While high doses of DHA may increase the omega-3 index more than EPA, there’s no need to cut EPA out of the picture. Expert consensus around the use of combined EPA and DHA suggest that both are associated with a reduction in risk biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. However, they have not yet been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease and its complications.
Blood Pressure
Take a beat to consider other markers of heart health. Blood pressure and circulation are equally vital to this vital organ’s vigor.
DHA likes to go with the flow. Or support it, rather. DHA may improve the ability of your blood vessels to dilate, also known as endothelial function. Better dilation, better blood flow.
Maintaining vascular health is a lot of pressure for one omega. Luckily, both DHA and EPA are associated with a reduction of diastolic blood pressure, and potentially reduced risk for adverse cardiovascular events.
Are You Floundering Through Your Workout?
Whether you’re swimming like DHA’s aquatic host or land-locked for your physical activity, DHA may be able to help you with the aftermath of your toughest training. Alone or in combination with omega sidekick EPA, DHA can reduce muscle soreness and stiffness following a workout.
Protecting muscles and joints from strenuous exercise makes DHA a good candidate for facilitating strenuous training adaptations and training adherence.
DHA’s ability to reduce muscle soreness and stiffness is due in part to its joint-soothing anti-inflammatory effects.
Inflammation
If there’s something off about your elbow after that extra lap around the pool, DHA and its omega-3 associates may be able attend to swelling because of their anti-inflammatory properties.
Fighting inflammation can decrease your risk of developing the chronic diseases that accompany aging, such as heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gum disease, and cancer.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
As for chronic joint pain, DHA’s anti-inflammatory properties have shown to be effective against rheumatoid arthritis.
Unlike traditional arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly perceives a threat to be present in body tissue and starts attacking it. The result? Painful swelling from thinning cartilage, leading to joint deformity and bone erosion.
After supplementing with DHA for ten weeks, rheumatoid arthritis sufferers enjoyed a 28% decrease in the number of swollen joints compared to those in the placebo group.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Body aside, increased inflammation can contribute to a sinking mind in the form of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Patients with Alzheimers have been observed to have lower levels of DHA in their brains than elderly adults with normal brain function
Not unusual given that your brain requires omega-3s to build and maintain brain cells.
In a group of 20 studies, 17 showed that increased intake of omega-3 fats may be linked to a reduction of declining mental ability through Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The key seems to be catching this mental decline early and reeling it in with DHA supplementation. Studies show that omega-3 supplements are most beneficial prior to brain function declining to the point of interference with daily activities.
Spawning Improved Memory, Mood, and Attention
If you weren’t baited by preventing cognitive decline, you may go in for DHA’s brain enhancing capabilities instead.
Memory
Healthy young adults supplementing with DHA experienced improved memory and reaction times.
Diets deficient in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are also correlated with lower dopamine neurotransmission. Dopamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter heavily involved in regulating mood, but it’s also an essential component of healthy cognitive functions, such as working memory.
Mood
Because dopamine is involved in regulating mood, DHA is able to stay afloat in conversations about depression, stress, and mental health.
Aside from dopamine, DHA and EPA also aid the mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin, which can help wash over depressive symptoms.
If stress is a greater concern than depression, DHA will be an even greater concern for your… concern. In other words, fish oil supplementation has been effective at normalizing stress responses
While you’re tossing aside your worries, you have an opportunity to alter your reaction to them; DHA has been able to decrease aggressive responses to stressful stimuli, which could help you manage your stress long-term.
Long-term commitments require consistency, but the rewards accrue over time.
In addition to the cognitive boost of DHA,
Attention
Recall that DHA is involved in both essential neural cell function and proper circulation, and it can increase blood flow to the brain during important mental tasks. This makes DHA a candidate for improving attention.
Cast yours to DHA’s extensive use to manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is characterized concentration issues and impulsive behaviors. The condition is usually diagnosed in childhood and often persists through adulthood.
In a sixteen-week study of children with ADHD taking DHA, their parents reported an 8% overall decrease in impulsive behaviors.
Supplementing with DHA
Remember that your body is not very efficient at producing its own omega-3s, and supplementation is advised to enjoy the full health benefits of adequate DHA intake.
While there is no official Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) advised by the FDA, the general range for optimal health is 200mg - 500 mg of DHA.
The most common side effects include belching, a (predictably) fishy taste, and mild nausea.
There are no significant adverse effects of DHA supplementation reported. DHA is even common in vitamins recommended for pregnant women and infant formulas mimicking breast milk. However, large doses of DHA and EPA may cause blood thinning.
Last Cast
Holy mackerel—DHA has quite the list of benefits. Let’s reel them in: improved cardiovascular health, decreased inflammation, reduced risk of chronic diseases, improved nervous system regulation, and increased focus and memory. While there may be plenty of other fish in the sea, this alpha of the omega-3 set is one catch you won’t want to release.
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