A dairy in Quebec Canada has begun marketing what it claims is the world's first fresh milk to naturally contain docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Docosahexanoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid felt to be esstentail in healthy development within young children.
They are achieving this by feeding cows food that is specially formulated and contains herring (a fatty fish). It's a patented formula that allows DHA to pass through the digestive system ending up being retained in the milk. The digestion process in Cows normally elimates this fatty acid.
"""This is a newsworthy event," Michel Lucas, a PhD candidate with the medical faculty at Laval University and one of Quebec's leading researchers into omega 3, said about the new 'Oh! Lait' milk brand marketed by Neilson Dairy. "The brains of young children need lots of DHA. Having it available in milk is a huge advantage."""
According to Lucas, who worked on the project with researchers in Guelph, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, halibut and herring offer better and more flexible DHA for use by the brain and heart than the fatty acids provided by vegetable-based linolenic acids.
DHA is found mostly in the membranes of cells with high electrical activity such as the brain, heart and retina. It is known to be needed, among other things, for the development of memory, learning and nerve development.
"The best source is breast milk," said Lucas. "But fish is an excellent source, too."
He added that pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the age of five need "lots" of DHA.
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