Webinar preview: dsm-firmenich on ARA and DHA balance in infant formula
Key takeaways
- ARA and DHA must be included together in infant formula, as they work cooperatively and should not be considered independently, urges dsm-firmenich.
- Infants cannot produce enough ARA and DHA on their own, making dietary supply critical for brain, immune, and overall development.
- Optimal formula design requires ARA levels that match or exceed DHA levels, reflecting human milk composition and supporting better long-term outcomes.
While breastfeeding is the gold standard for babies’ development, companies continue to bring infant formula closer to the composition of human milk’s nutrients and bioactives. Among breast milk’s many components, dsm-firmenich highlights the importance of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for infant health and development, focusing on the right balance of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA).
The scientific literature shows the importance of adding both lipids to infant formula, as babies cannot produce sufficient levels of ARA and DHA to meet physiological needs. Infants fed formula without preformed DHA and ARA exhibit lower tissue and circulating levels of these compounds than breastfed babies.
In an upcoming webinar hosted by dsm-firmenich, Dr. Berthold Koletzko, professor of Pediatrics at LMU University Hospitals in Munich, Germany, will explore the critical and complementary roles of ARA and DHA in infant development and recommended inclusion levels and ratios for these lipids in formulas.
Ahead of the webinar, “Why ARA & DHA matter: Key lipids shaping infant development,” Nutrition Insight speaks with Jim Richards, Ph.D., senior director of Scientific Engagement at dsm-firmenich, to discuss the importance of these fatty acids in infant formula.
Registration for the free webinar on March 31, at 3:30 PM CEST, is now open.
Richards says the webinar brings together foundational science and forward-looking insights to support informed decision-making in a rapidly evolving landscape.
“The most important message of this webinar is that ARA and DHA function together to support infant development and should be considered jointly, not independently, when designing infant nutrition solutions,” he details. “Human milk always provides both fatty acids, with ARA levels typically exceeding DHA levels, and the scientific consensus clearly supports their combined and balanced inclusion in infant and follow-up formulas.”
DHA is critical for brain and visual development, where ARA plays a role in immunity, inflammation, vascular development, blood clotting, and growth pathways.“For professionals working in infant nutrition — across R&D, regulatory affairs, quality, and marketing — staying aligned with the latest human milk–based evidence, clinical outcomes data, and expert consensus is essential.”
Impact on infant development
As fundamental structural components of cell membranes, Richards says that DHA and ARA play vital roles during early life, a period marked by rapid growth and development.
“DHA is particularly important for brain and visual development, accumulating rapidly in brain and retinal tissues beginning in late gestation and continuing through the first years of life. Approximately half of an infant’s DHA intake is directed to the brain during the first six months, where DHA represents 30–40% of fatty acids in phospholipids of the prefrontal cortex.”
He adds that ARA and its elongation product, adrenic acid, accumulate in the developing brain in even greater absolute amounts than DHA during these critical windows.
“Beyond the brain, ARA is a major component of cell membranes throughout the body and is the predominant unsaturated fatty acid in many tissues, including muscle, heart, liver, kidneys, vascular endothelium, and certain immune cells,” says Richards.
“Importantly, ARA serves as a precursor to eicosanoids that regulate key physiological processes, including immune responses, inflammation, vascular development, blood clotting, and growth. Because infants cannot synthesize sufficient amounts of either DHA or ARA, dietary provision during early life is critical.”
Earlier this year, Nutrition Insight spoke with James Young, dsm-firmenich’s VP of Early Life Nutrition about the importance of ARA in infant nutrition and how to inspect ARA suppliers amid global infant formula recalls.
Young highlighted dsm-firmenich’s microbial Arasco and life’sARA as examples from its wider portfolio of microbial nutritional lipids, which are not associated with these product recalls.
ARA and DHA balance
As human milk typically provides ARA at higher levels than DHA, Richards points to clinical data that support providing ARA to “at least the same level as DHA” in infant formulas.
Richards points to benefits for infant health when ARA meets or exceeds DHA in formulas, typically at an ARA:DHA ratio of 1:1 to 2:1.“Clinical studies in formula-fed infants demonstrate that the combination of DHA and ARA supports neurodevelopmental outcomes during infancy and beyond — with evidence supporting positive impacts to at least nine years of age.”
“These benefits are most consistently observed when DHA levels are close to the global human milk mean (approximately 0.32–0.36% of fatty acids, or 17–20 mg/100 kcal) or higher,” he specifies.
Moreover, Richards notes benefits when ARA meets or exceeds DHA, typically at an ARA:DHA ratio of 1:1 to 2:1.
Importantly, he says that many of the cognitive benefits of DHA and ARA diminish when formula DHA levels exceed ARA.
Infant nutrition strategies
Around the world, authoritative scientific bodies have established adequate intake levels for DHA and ARA, particularly for infants up to six months old.
“Notably, adequate intakes for ARA are consistently greater than those for DHA,” says Richards. “For example, the European Food Safety Authority recently defined adequate intakes of 100 mg/day for DHA and 140 mg/day for ARA.”
He reiterates that formula-fed infants require pre-formed DHA and ARA to meet these intakes and to achieve fatty acid status comparable to that of breastfed infants — especially those infants with genetic polymorphisms that limit endogenous synthesis. According to Richards, these polymorphisms are relatively common across global populations.
“Based on the totality of human milk data, clinical evidence, and expert recommendations, there is broad agreement that when DHA is added to infant formula, ARA should be added to at least the same level. These recommendations have been translated into regulatory standards in most regions worldwide,” he underscores.
Looking ahead, Richards recommends that research continue to focus on long-term functional outcomes, including cognition, immune function, and related areas. He also emphasizes analyzing the significance of polymorphisms that impact endogenous ARA and DHA synthesis.
