Hi everyone this is Monica Reinagel the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty

tips for eating well and feeling fabulous. Several of you have written with questions about DHA. It's a type of

omega-3 fat that's important for healthy brain function. We know that DHA is

important for the development of a baby's brain both before and after birth and lately it's

been proposed as a possible treatment for ADHD and as a hedge against Alzheimer's

disease two very different disorders that are both on the rise.

Could DHA be the secret to a healthy brain throughout life?

Well, let's take a look at the latest research and figure out how this nutrient fits into your diet.

As I talked about in my show on fish oil and omega-3s,

omega-3 isn't just one nutrient but a whole family of fatty acids.

Two of the most biologically active members of that family are EPA and DHA.

And when you eat fish, or take a fish oil supplement you're getting some of each.

At the risk of oversimplifying a complex area of nutritional biochemistry,

EPA helps keep your heart and blood vessels healthy while

DHA supports your brain and neurological function. So it makes sense for

researchers to look for connections between DHA intake and cognitive disorders like ADHD or

Alzheimer's disease. But before you head to the Vitamin Shop, let's see what they found.

Several researchers have observed that kids with ADHD

have lower levels of omega-3s, including DHA, in their cells and in their bloodstream.

If ADHD might be due even in part to a DHA deficiency,

then we could hope that increasing DHA might be helpful.

But there's also some evidence that these lower increasing DHA might be helpful.

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