Supplement evidence

064 / 575Fatty-acid form

Algal DHA

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The short answer

A non-fish source that raises DHA status and can help meet pregnancy or dietary DHA needs.

Evidence and scope: Established for an indicated use
This status does not grade the ingredient for every goal, outcome, or person.
Important limitation: The benefit is tied to the stated indication, dose, and population; it is not evidence of broader disease prevention or longer life.
Before deciding: Key concern: Review anticoagulants, algae allergy, product oxidation, and pregnancy-specific contaminants/testing.

01 / PRACTICAL GUIDE

Dose, absorption, and combinations

These are indication-specific reference or studied ranges—not a personalized prescription. Start with the objective, then check the form, label, medicines, and health conditions.

Reference range by objective

Meeting usual needs200–500 mg/day DHA depending on objective

Reference or studied range—not a personalized prescription. The product label or a clinician may specify a different dose.

Dose source ↗

Pregnancy-related needAt least 200 mg/day DHA is common in guidance and trials

Reference or studied range—not a personalized prescription. The product label or a clinician may specify a different dose.

Dose source ↗

More is not automatically better. A clinician or product label may specify a different amount.

Absorption / solubilityFat-soluble / lipid-based

Fat-soluble or lipid-based. Absorption generally improves with a meal containing fat.

How it is commonly taken

Take with a meal containing fat.

Do not combine casually

Review anticoagulants, algae allergy, product oxidation, and pregnancy-specific contaminants/testing.

Dose and use source ↗

Dose and use links lead to primary or official source material. Search links are discovery tools, not proof that every returned paper applies.

02 / EVIDENCE

What the research says

We keep supportive, mixed, negative, safety, and contextual findings together. The headline never replaces the underlying papers.

3research papers in this ledger

13unique primary studies represented

1,981unique participants represented

These are audited counts for this JIVANA collection, not search-result totals. Participants are counted once when multiple papers use the same cohort; review papers are not added again to participant totals.

Open the research timelineResearch timeline

Entries are ordered by publication year. A study period appears only when the source reports it.

2012

Mixed or qualifiedPMID 22113870

A meta-analysis shows that docosahexaenoic acid from algal oil reduces serum triglycerides and increases HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol

Algal DHA lowered triglycerides by about 0.20 mmol/L and raised HDL by 0.07 mmol/L, but also raised LDL by 0.23 mmol/L. These lipid changes do not establish fewer cardiovascular events.

Published: 2012Duration: Varied across 11 randomized trialsn=485 participants11 primary studies represented

Study design and methods

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials
Population: 485 generally healthy participants without coronary heart disease
Intervention: Algal DHA, median dose 1.68 g/day, versus control
Outcome: Triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol

Open research record ↗

2010

Does not support the tested claimPMID 21045096 · NCT00440050

Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation and cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease

DHA did not slow cognitive decline, functional decline, or brain atrophy versus placebo. Raising DHA exposure after mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease was present did not produce clinical benefit.

Published: 2010Duration: 18 monthsn=402 participants

Study design and methods

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial
Population: 402 adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease; 295 completed on study medication
Intervention: Algal DHA 2 g/day or placebo
Outcome: ADAS-cog, Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes, and brain atrophy

Funding or conflict note: The NIH-funded trial used DHA and placebo supplied by Martek Biosciences; product provision does not change the null primary result.

Open research record ↗

2010

Mixed or qualifiedPMID 20715595

Effects of Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation During Pregnancy on Gestational Age and Size at Birth

Intention-to-treat analyses found no overall difference in gestational age or newborn size. Higher birth weight and head circumference appeared only in the primigravida subgroup, so the study does not support a general birth-size claim.

Published: 2010Duration: From 18–22 weeks of gestation through deliveryn=1,094 participants

Study design and methods

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Population: 1,094 pregnant women in Mexico with low dietary DHA intake
Intervention: Algal DHA 400 mg/day or placebo
Outcome: Gestational age, birth weight, length, and head circumference

Open research record ↗

Unscreened discovery appendix—not evidence16 candidate publicationsSearch run: Aug 21, 2026

Complete for the displayed PubMed query at the search timestamp—not for all databases or every possible synonym. Candidates can be irrelevant, duplicate the same study, or report negative findings. They are never summed as evidence or participants until screened.

03 / SOURCES

Start with the source material

Official evidence overviewPubMed bounded human-evidence search Live PubMed discovery searchNational Library of Medicine

The live search is for discovery only. Search-result counts change and are not included in the audited totals above.

Recent PubMed discovery recordsDirect links to the first 12 records returned by the reproducible search. These are discovery candidates—not reviewed summaries or a count of supportive findings.

04 / EXPERT CONTEXT

Expert context—not evidence

Expert positions are dated context—not scientific evidence. They never raise the evidence status or become consensus by repetition.

No direct, source-verified endorsement is currently recorded. Research authorship or discussion alone is not treated as endorsement.