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From:	ridgerunner (bbb72-0-183-209.bendbroadband.com)
Subject:	DHA
Date:	January 4, 2006 at 12:11 am PST

In Reply to: Re: Yes, for insurance posted by Savannah on January 1, 2006 at 11:27 am:

Docosahexaenoic Acid.
It is an extremely important non-essential fatty acid (for your hearth, brain and nervous system) that is produced by your body from Omega-3 essential fatty acid (Alpha Linolenic Acid) by an enzyme in your body. (You can also get DHA directly if you eat fish - along with mercury, dioxin, etc.) Most people have plenty of the necessary enzyme to convert the Omega-3 efas to DHA, but due to genetic differences, some people have compromised enzyme function, and do not convert well. Also, this same enzyme is used to convert Omega-6 efas (Linoleic Acid). However, the enzyme favors the O-6 conversion over the O-3, thus if you eat too much O-6 fats (safflower oil, sunflower oil, etc), then there is not enough of the enzyme available to convert the O-3 to DHA, and you can become deficient. Both DHA and its important sibling non-essential fatty acid: EPA (Eicosapentanoic Acid) are important for mental health. For those suffering with depression, Dr F typically recommends supplementation with both DHA and EFA. He talks about this in his "Disease Proof Your Child" book and says DHA is particularly crucial for brain development in children (and pregnant/nursing women) and for preventing aging of the brain in adults. I take DHA and ground flaxseed daily because I have a history of depression, but I seem to have improved significantly since starting the DHA supplements and improved diet (i.e. less O-6, more O-3 (walnuts, flaxseeds, dark leafy greens))

This is all I have at the moment (sort of remember reading more about this is one of his newsletters, too). Also, Dr Michael Gregor's talk on Optimal Vegetarian Nutrition is really good and as I recall, he touches on this subject (Like Dr F, he's also really up on veggie nutrition and you can download his "Optimal Vegetarian Nutrition" lecture MP3 here: VeganMD.com.)

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