DHA

No summary available for this substance.

DHA

DHA, or Docosahexaenoic acid, is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, and retina. It is crucial for brain development and function, and it also plays a vital role in the structure and function of cells.

Category
Fatty Acid
Molecular Formula
C22H32O2
Mechanism of Action
DHA is incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids and can affect cellular processes by altering lipid raft clustering and conformational states of membrane proteins, modulating the endocannabinoid system, and affecting gene expression.
Evidence Grade
A

Other Names

  • Docosahexaenoic acid
  • Cervonic acid
  • DHA Omega-3

Primary Benefits

  • Supports brain health
  • Promotes heart health
  • Aids in visual development
  • Boosts immune system
  • May improve mental disorders

Recommended Dosage

Children 70-100 mg/day
Adults 200-500 mg/day
Pregnant Women 200-300 mg/day

Side Effects

  • Fishy taste in the mouth
  • Stomach upset
  • Loose stools
  • Nausea

Precautions

  • Not recommended for those with fish or seafood allergies
  • Should be used cautiously by people taking anticoagulants as it may increase bleeding

Interactions

  • Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs
  • Hypertension drugs
  • Contraceptive drugs

Key References

  • Swanson, D., Block, R., & Mousa, S. A. (2012). Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA: health benefits throughout life. Advances in Nutrition, 3(1), 1-7.
  • Innis, S. M. (2008). Dietary omega 3 fatty acids and the developing brain. Brain research, 1237, 35-43.
Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 13:19 0
“Lovaza is the EPA plus DHA ethyl ester, Vascepa is an EPA-only ethylester.”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 19:44 0
“vegetarian or vegan would be an algal oil so the original source of epa and dha in a fish is not that they make omega-3 they don't really make omega-3 any better than we do or make epa and dha they eat pre-formed epa and dha and it comes from their food sources which at the bottom of the food chain is these micro single celled micro”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 20:30 0
“different companies have identified which strains specific strains of algae microalgae will make dha or epa or both and they've commercialized or they've industrialized it and they harvest the oil it's an expensive process at this point”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 20:50 0
“if we can get over the gmo issue there are two or three groups that have found ways to put genes into plant or land plant animal land plants that can be grown you know as long as you've got ground you can grow them um camelina is one even soybean oil which starts with ala you can get up to a fair amount of dha epa and dha with genetic engineering of these plants”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 25:52 0
“we called it the omega-3 index we didn't really know what to call it didn't want to call it red blood cell epa plus dha is too much and we picked red blood cells because that had been used in past studies and it makes sense because it's a long-term marker of omega-3 status because the omega-3s are in the membrane of the red cell and in most other tissues in the body all other tissues”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 28:41 0
“the plasma has certainly has omega-3 and you can express the plasma omega-3 content as a percent of total plasma fatty acids it's just that the number you get like in normal might be two percent for plasma epa dha whereas for red blood cell epa dha which is just the red cell membrane it might be five or six percent would be normal”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 45:27 0
“average americans roughly 5 omega-3 index which is epa and dha in red cells as a percent of the total fatty acids in the red cells so five percent of the fatty acids in the red cell membrane epa and dha japan it's on average nine percent”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 49:46 0
“correlated the omega-3 index to cause mortality is able to even predict uh mortality very very interesting study um i shared it on social media but i would love to talk about it yeah yeah sure that was a it's gonna be probably one of my capstone studies i think in in hindsight um it was a collaboration among 17 different cohorts like like the framingham studies of cohort women's health initiatives mesa epic these are all and from all around the world these are groups that have been recruited at one point in time blood samples taken fatty acid levels measured in that blood and then the investigators just follow this group of people over time to see what happens what kind of diseases they get you know who gets who dies who doesn't and so we had 17 of those pooled together and around 40 45 000 people all together where we had omega-3 levels at the beginning and then roughly um the total follow-up time when you're when you're looking at risk for death all cause mortality you obviously look in a given window of time because if you wait long enough it's one hundred percent everybody…”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 1:03:54 0
“it's actually a bewildering array of molecules that have been discovered made from epa and dha that operate on different cell types and different receptors through different mechanisms but at the end of the day they suppress an inflammatory response and keep it from getting out of control.”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 1:16:10 0
“they found that DHA, again in silico experiments, if it's present will hold that thing in a closed position.”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 1:28:47 0
“epinova which is a epa plus dha same ratio is in lavazza except they're free fatty acids not ethyl esters so they're unasterified epa and dha which which they had previously shown are more readily absorbed.”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 1:40:01 0
“in that trial unfortunately there was apparently compliance with dha supplementation was not very good so the change in omega-3 index was not much in that big trial so they didn't see a benefit it could be because women weren't taking it”

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Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health
Understanding Omega-3 Impact: Health Benefits Through Diet and Research 1:40:35 0
“we do have a test we developed in omega quant called the rbc mother's dha test rbc dha test i can't remember the name of it um i'm gonna get in trouble uh but anyway it's it's a test for pregnant women to measure their red cell dha levels and we think being over five percent is where you want to be”

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Why Exercise Intensity Matters for Longevity | CrossFit for Health 2024
The Power of Exercise: Boost Longevity, Health, and Wellness 40:15 0
“the question is like what type of Omega-3 was involved and then disuse atrophy study coming out of Dr Chris MC glor's Lab at Queens University”

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276 ‒ Special episode: Peter on longevity, supplements, protein, fasting, apoB, statins, & more
Longevity, Health Tools, Proactive Management: Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Genetic Insights 27:59 0
“I take EPA and DHA so I take fish oil... by taking four of these capsules a day I'm taking roughly 2 grams of EPA a day and probably a gram and a half of DHA.”

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Bruce Ames on Triage Theory, Longevity Vitamins & Micronutrients
Understanding Nutritional Essentials for Optimal Health and Longevity 0:39 0
“And the second paper which was just recently accepted for publication is on vitamin D and the marine omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and what role they play in ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior.”

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Rhonda Patrick at Orthomolecular Medicine Congress in Bussum, Netherlands (Keynote Oct. 3rd, 2015)
Optimizing Health Through Micronutrients: Key Role in Disease Prevention 34:33 0
“another study recently that elaborates on my first study and talks about the role of vitamin D in producing serotonin in the brain and activating the enzyme in the brain and also how omega-3 fatty acids specifically the Marine omega-3 fatty acids icosapent anuic acid EPA and doah hexenoic acid DHA also regulate the serotonin system and how this is relevant for brain function and brain dysfunction”

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Rhonda Patrick at Orthomolecular Medicine Congress in Bussum, Netherlands (Keynote Oct. 3rd, 2015)
Optimizing Health Through Micronutrients: Key Role in Disease Prevention 40:13 0
“DHA deficiency also changes the serotonin system by altering the function of Serotonin”

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Leading Cardiologist: Your Doctor Is WRONG About Cholesterol | Dr. William Davis
Challenging Health Myths: Nutrition, Heart Health, and Gut Microbiome Insights 36:39 0
“And I think the dosage you recommended was 3000 milligrams of EPA, DHA in combo.”

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Leading Cardiologist: Your Doctor Is WRONG About Cholesterol | Dr. William Davis
Challenging Health Myths: Nutrition, Heart Health, and Gut Microbiome Insights 37:06 0
“So it's DHA that provides cognitive benefits. The science is pretty good. It actually has been shown to slow or prevent cognitive impairment in the earliest phase.”

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Leading Cardiologist: Your Doctor Is WRONG About Cholesterol | Dr. William Davis
Challenging Health Myths: Nutrition, Heart Health, and Gut Microbiome Insights 42:42 0
“their lipoprotein molecule was much less likely to cause heart disease and they got about 5000 milligrams of EPA and DHA per day.”

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Gary Brecka: The TRUTH About Biohacking, Light Therapy, and Nutrients
Optimizing Health: Lifestyle, Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise, and Social Connections 1:13:20 0
“the most important nutrients that we're missing and what are the supplements that we should be taking okay um so you know when you call something essential um that means it's necessary for life right so if you we have two essential fatty acids you know if you don't get these fatty acids they're they're essential for Life Omega-3s yeah Omega-3s omega-3 fatty acids um EPA dhas they're eight essential amino acids.”

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REVERSE AGING: What To Eat & When To Eat For LONGEVITY | David Sinclair
Enhance Health, Longevity, and Disease Prevention with Lifestyle Choices 1:57:38 0
“the closest thing that people have come to is to look at the various fatty acids um you know dha dha for example from fish yeah those are very healthy even for mice”

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Simple Fixes For A Good Night’s Rest – Shawn Stevenson (4K)
Improving sleep quality through lifestyle choices and health awareness tips 41:43 0
“people who ate less than four grams of DHA and EPA had the highest rate of brain shrinkage.”

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These FOODS & HABITS Boost Brain Health & REDUCE INFLAMMATION | Mark Hyman
Boost Brain Health with Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Healthy Habits 2:48 0
“your brain is mostly fat... about 60% of our brain is made of fat and most of that is what we call DHA or docosahexaenoic acid.”

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These FOODS & HABITS Boost Brain Health & REDUCE INFLAMMATION | Mark Hyman
Boost Brain Health with Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Healthy Habits 47:07 0
“the most important one is dha for the brain which is docosaccinoic acid it's an omega-3 fat comes from fatty fish you get it from algae that would be my number one”

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Dr. Greg Fahy: Thymus Regeneration & Boosting The Immune System For Longevity
Boosting Immune System and Thymus Regeneration for Longevity Insights 11:18 0
“what if the hidden sleeper function of DHA was actually to prevent specifically hyperinsulinemia induced by growth hormone”

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Dr. Greg Fahy: Thymus Regeneration & Boosting The Immune System For Longevity
Boosting Immune System and Thymus Regeneration for Longevity Insights 13:43 0
“DHEA helps to block the lipolysis of the actually DHA contributes to lipolysis itself but also turns over the lipid but burns the fatty acids and has other effects that mitigate the effects of the fatty increase”

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Dr. Peter Attia: Improve Vitality, Emotional & Physical Health & Lifespan | Huberman Lab Podcast
Improving Healthspan Through Lifestyle Choices and Preventive Health Measures 2:20:35 0
“there's tons of supplements that I think about when it comes to brain health you know what about thumin what about magnesium with L3 and8 the transporter um what about methylated vitamins that lower homocysteine what about EPA and DHA.”

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Dr. Peter Attia: Supplements for Longevity & Their Efficacy
Supplements, Lifestyle, and Strategies for Longevity and Optimal Health 2:12:28 0
“I take EPA and DHA in the form of liquid or capsule fish oil capsules”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 7:38 0
“Thesis understands this, and, as far as I know, they're the first nootropics company to create targeted nootropics for specific outcomes.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 37:01 0
“So krill is a source mostly of a type of DHA and EPA that's in phospholipid form.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 40:00 0
“One of the major prescription omega-3s out there is, both of them actually, Lovaza, which is a mixture of DHA and EPA, as well as Vascepa, which is a highly purified EPA.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 44:41 0
“So I take four grams a day. I take two in the morning, two grams in the morning, and I take two grams in the evening. I take my EPA in the morning, and I take my DHA in the evening.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:01:03 0
“And ALA, it can be converted into EPA and DHA, but the conversion is very inefficient and very dependent on a variety of factors, including genetics.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:02:03 0
“But, if a person is a vegan or a vegetarian, their best bet is to actually get microalgae oil. And you can supplement with microalgae oil because microalgae, they do make the DHA.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:08:56 0
“You're giving someone 500 milligrams of DHA, and you don't see any effect. Well, did you measure what their levels were? And did you measure the Omega-3 Index?”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:13:10 0
“And DHA plays a role in that. And so, for example, in animal studies, if you make an animal deficient in DHA, their serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, they're affected because the structure of them is affected through the fluidity of the membrane.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:14:42 0
“We talked a lot about EPA, but are food sources of DHA that you find particularly attractive, either by taste or by potency for DHA, what are just a few that we could throw out?”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:15:07 0
“Well, the fish is packaging the DHA and EPA in the ratio, but I also do eat salmon roe, which is very salty, and it's a really high source of the phosphatidylcholine DHA that we talked about.”

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Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Huberman Lab Podcast #70
Optimizing Health and Longevity Through Nutrients and Lifestyle Choices 1:15:52 0
“There's been some animal studies in piglets and rodents as well showing that consuming phospholipid DHA during fetal brain development gets like 10 times more DHA in the brain.”

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How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Essential Insights for Health and Longevity Through Diet and Lifestyle 21:13 0
“And it was calculated that about, I think it was something like 84,000 deaths per year were attributed to not getting enough EPA and DHA from the diet.”

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How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Essential Insights for Health and Longevity Through Diet and Lifestyle 23:06 0
“The problem with that is that the conversion of ALA into EPA, and then subsequently DHA, it's very inefficient and there's widespread genetic differences with respect to that conversion.”

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How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Essential Insights for Health and Longevity Through Diet and Lifestyle 25:34 0
“So, the omega-3 index is measuring omega-3 fatty acid levels, the EPA and DHA, and there's other fatty acids as well, but in red blood cell membranes.”

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World’s #1 Longevity Expert: How To Live Longer in 4 Simple Steps
Optimal Health: Key Pillars for Longevity and Well-being Essentials 1:33:48 0
“I'm not opposed to supplementation I just think it has to be very targeted and very thoughtful and if I can't answer those questions that I laid out then I don't it doesn't make sense.”

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