This information is essentially correct.  The only time the human body 
makes DHA is during lactation.  It's one of those things we have to 
ingest through diet.

In order to make it for our breastmilk, we have to take in either the 
ALA, or DHA.  ALA is actually the essential fatty acid, not DHA.   ALA 
makes both DHA and ARA  - that's why it's the essential fatty acid.

Fats are the only area of a diet that will impact the milk if the mother 
is not taking in enough fats, the milk will struggle to have enough 
fats.  The body can make up for fats by harvesting carb, but in a diet 
totally devoid of fat, there could be problems.  Please note 'tho, that 
the amount of fats needed to be taken in, is tiny compared to the 
average fat in a diet, and that the body does use every scrap, so the 
only time this is really an issue is with anorexic mothers, who may have 
purged their body of all fats.  Even in famine conditions, it's not that 
much of an issue.

However, the part that is an issue, is that the fats in your milk will 
reflect the type of fats you take in.  If you are not eating a healthy 
'fat' diet, you are not passing on a healthy fat diet to the baby.   
There will be some DHA in the milk (a recent  study found DHA was stored 
in female hip fat) but in order for the baby to get full access to DHA 
and ARA, the mother needs to be consuming fresh leafy green veggies 
and/or oily cold-water fish.  If the Mum is eating a lot of trans-fats, 
those fats are being passed to the baby.  The balance in the milk, 
reflects the balance in the diet.

Nutrition is always better off starting from the basics - actual food!  
If the mother is struggling to eat leafy greens and nuts and seeds, or 
does not eat oily cold-water fish, then she should consider 
supplementation.  Some say only DHA is needed.  I'm of the opinion that 
the body metabolises a tiny fraction of ALA to DHA and ARA for a reason 
- the reason being we should be eating vast amounts of veggies, nuts and 
seeds.  For that reason, I prefer to have a lot of ALA, so use flaxseed 
oil in my diet.

Mothers who are tandem nursing, or who are pregnant and nursing, will 
need to take more ALA/DHA than a mother who isn't.  Essentially, they 
need to take a bit for everyone: some for them, and some for each child 
they are feeding. 

http://www.007b.com/breastfeeding_intelligence_diet.php

http://wwwchem.csustan.edu/chem4400/SJBR/polet.pdf

Morgan Gallagher



Naznin Hebert wrote:
> -----Message d'origine-----
> I would love to have your opinion on this. A nutritionist says that there is
> DHA/ARA in breastmilk only if mothers consume enough foods containing it.
> And studies show that many women are deficient in this and we should be
> telling moms to include those sources in their diets, otherwise there is not
> enough DHA/ARA in their milk.
> Any thoughts? 
> Thank you in advance.   
> Naznin.
>
>  

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