It’s a little complicated. Currently, according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy, ALA has an established daily nutritional requirement: 1,100 mg per day for adult women and 1,600 mg per day for adult men. (To put this number in perspective, a serving of walnuts contains 2,600 mg of ALA.)
Technically, there is no established recommendation for DHA dosage, although nutritionist Ashley Jordan Ferreira, Ph.D. Researchers, doctors and nutritionists alike want to share. ”
“While we wait for that recommendation to be issued, we can share what science and clinical consensus are,” Ferreira added. Speaking of clinical compliance, doctors generally recommend that pregnant women consume 200 mg of DHA a day, Graves said. You can also find DHA in certain antenatal multivitamins or as a separate, distinct omega-3 supplement.
On the diet front, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that people eat at least two servings (i.e., eight to 12 ounces) of fish or shellfish a week for their EPA and DHA content before they become pregnant. And during breastfeeding.
Indeed, the final evidence from several reputable organizations suggests taking adequate daily DHA during pregnancy. “Researchers from the WHO and the European Perinatal Health Association, as well as respected ACOGs and more than 20 years of previous research, clinical consent aligned with taking a minimum of 200 to 300 milligrams of omega-3 DHA per day during pregnancy and lactation,” Ferreira shares.