The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review
Pregnancy is a special period in a woman's life that requires special attention. For the proper development of the foetus and the maintenance of the mother's health, a balanced diet and appropriate supplementation are extremely important. One of the key nutrients is docosahexaenoic acid (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Kazimierz Wielki University
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Education, Health and Sport |
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| Online Access: | https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/58452 |
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| author | Justyna Dutkiewicz Wiktoria Mączyńska Michał Wijata Anna Maria Wijata Zuzanna Adriana Przybyłek-Stępień Ryszard Bartosiński Jan Szustak Maria Kąpa Bartosz Szepietowski Jakub Marek Kaźmierczak Ewelina Rycerz Piotr Pasek |
| author_facet | Justyna Dutkiewicz Wiktoria Mączyńska Michał Wijata Anna Maria Wijata Zuzanna Adriana Przybyłek-Stępień Ryszard Bartosiński Jan Szustak Maria Kąpa Bartosz Szepietowski Jakub Marek Kaźmierczak Ewelina Rycerz Piotr Pasek |
| author_sort | Justyna Dutkiewicz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Pregnancy is a special period in a woman's life that requires special attention. For the proper development of the foetus and the maintenance of the mother's health, a balanced diet and appropriate supplementation are extremely important. One of the key nutrients is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which belongs to the group of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The present paper reviews the literature on the biological significance of DHA during pregnancy, as well as the sources of this nutrient and its requirement. The benefits of taking DHA are also presented. The potential risks and limitations of DHA supplementation are discussed, including the risks of contaminants present in fish products. International recommendations and future research directions are also presented, highlighting the need for further analysis of the impact of DHA on the long-term health of both mother and child.
Objective:
This thesis aims to review the scientific literature on the biological importance of DHA during pregnancy, the sources and need for this ingredient and the benefits of supplementation. The text will also address the potential risks and limitations of DHA intake, international recommendations, and future research directions in this field.
Materials and methods:
The review includes scientific papers and literature reviews published in the last 15 years 2010-2025, available in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, which were identified using relevant keywords such as DHA supplementation and pregnancy. Polish and international recommendations were also included in the analysis.
Conclusions:
DHA supplementation during pregnancy is particularly important for the development of the fetal brain and vision, as well as for the prevention of pregnancy complications. However, there is a lack of precise data on optimal doses and desired DHA concentrations in the blood. Future studies should focus on these issues and the long-term effects of DHA supplementation.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc972e4afc054b42aac89a245c1eeef4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2391-8306 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Kazimierz Wielki University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Education, Health and Sport |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc972e4afc054b42aac89a245c1eeef42025-08-20T03:02:10ZengKazimierz Wielki UniversityJournal of Education, Health and Sport2391-83062025-03-017910.12775/JEHS.2025.79.58452The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - reviewJustyna Dutkiewicz0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0352-7827Wiktoria Mączyńskahttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-9833-7598Michał Wijata https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0121-2854Anna Maria Wijata https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7656-8318Zuzanna Adriana Przybyłek-Stępieńhttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-4857-1315Ryszard Bartosińskihttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-3687-015XJan Szustakhttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-0690-7211Maria Kąpahttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-5880-2416Bartosz Szepietowskihttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-6945-3871Jakub Marek Kaźmierczakhttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-0701-7983Ewelina Rycerzhttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-5749-5720Piotr Pasekhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-6218-9887Saint Lucas Hospital Konskie Pregnancy is a special period in a woman's life that requires special attention. For the proper development of the foetus and the maintenance of the mother's health, a balanced diet and appropriate supplementation are extremely important. One of the key nutrients is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which belongs to the group of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The present paper reviews the literature on the biological significance of DHA during pregnancy, as well as the sources of this nutrient and its requirement. The benefits of taking DHA are also presented. The potential risks and limitations of DHA supplementation are discussed, including the risks of contaminants present in fish products. International recommendations and future research directions are also presented, highlighting the need for further analysis of the impact of DHA on the long-term health of both mother and child. Objective: This thesis aims to review the scientific literature on the biological importance of DHA during pregnancy, the sources and need for this ingredient and the benefits of supplementation. The text will also address the potential risks and limitations of DHA intake, international recommendations, and future research directions in this field. Materials and methods: The review includes scientific papers and literature reviews published in the last 15 years 2010-2025, available in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, which were identified using relevant keywords such as DHA supplementation and pregnancy. Polish and international recommendations were also included in the analysis. Conclusions: DHA supplementation during pregnancy is particularly important for the development of the fetal brain and vision, as well as for the prevention of pregnancy complications. However, there is a lack of precise data on optimal doses and desired DHA concentrations in the blood. Future studies should focus on these issues and the long-term effects of DHA supplementation. https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/58452Supplementation during pregnancyomega-3 fatty acidsDHAnutrition during pregnancyfishfetal development |
| spellingShingle | Justyna Dutkiewicz Wiktoria Mączyńska Michał Wijata Anna Maria Wijata Zuzanna Adriana Przybyłek-Stępień Ryszard Bartosiński Jan Szustak Maria Kąpa Bartosz Szepietowski Jakub Marek Kaźmierczak Ewelina Rycerz Piotr Pasek The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review Journal of Education, Health and Sport Supplementation during pregnancy omega-3 fatty acids DHA nutrition during pregnancy fish fetal development |
| title | The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review |
| title_full | The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review |
| title_fullStr | The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review |
| title_short | The DHA supplementation during pregnancy: benefits and risks - review |
| title_sort | dha supplementation during pregnancy benefits and risks review |
| topic | Supplementation during pregnancy omega-3 fatty acids DHA nutrition during pregnancy fish fetal development |
| url | https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/58452 |
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