On Wed, 30 Jan 2002 12:34:29 +1100, Balzer, Ben <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>The DHA content of breast milk varies with the mother's DHA intake. It is
>critical for breastfeeding mothers to have a high intake of fish or fish
>oil
>capsules.

Bad for those who weren't breastfed. Like me :-(

DHA can be made by mothers in two ways. Eating it or synthesizing it.
Eating it would be the safest and requires fish oil.
Possible eaten DHA sources in the paleolithicum would have been only
animal brains or high amounts of game meat (3 lbs/day).

Synthesizing it requires sufficient LNA in the diet and
no w-3 pathway killers, as are mainly:
1.high LA (so, no safflor sunflower etc)
2.trans FA (so, no potato chips, no convenience foods - hydrogenated oils)

I read from Loren Cordain that one of the tissues, where DHA synthesizing is
possible in humans are the mother's breasts. Exactely the right place for
the baby.

I wonder if that contributed evolutionary to the attraction the breasts have
for men, and the relative big size they have (for primates). :-)

A.S.