What is DHA?
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is a nutrient naturally found in certain foods. It is a type of omega-3 fatty acid that acts as a building block of an infant’s brain and retina. Therefore, it may play an important role in how babies see and learn.

Why study DHA in pregnant women?
Several studies have already shown that getting enough DHA in babies’ diets after they are born is important for how they see and learn.

DHA is passed on to the baby from the mother while developing in the womb, so getting enough DHA through mother’s diet during pregnancy may also be important for the brain and eye development that takes place in infants before they are born.

What does this study involve?
You would be asked to take study capsules by mouth every day during pregnancy until your baby is born. You would have a 50-50 chance of receiving capsules with DHA or capsules containing ordinary food oil.

You would need to be available for a brief phone conversation once a month during your pregnancy.

After your baby is born, you would be asked to come in for 7 visits to our infant clinic, where your child’s vision development, learning development, and growth would be measured until he or she is 18 months of age.

Monetary compensation is available in exchange for your participation.

All work in the laboratory complies with the policies on protection of human subjects of the Human Subjects Committee at KUMC.