Why life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™

  • Martek produces its DHA and ARA from all-natural vegetarian sources. From start to finish, life'sDHA™ is produced using a patented process in an FDA-inspected world class facility while life'sARA™ is produced in facilities with quality management systems that exceed industry best practices.
  • life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™ are the only sources of DHA and ARA currently used in U.S. infant formulas.
  • life'sDHA™ is rich in DHA only, unlike fish oil, which contains a blend of DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, another omega-3 fatty acid. While DHA specifically is a primary structural fat in the brain and eyes, EPA is not. In fact, DHA accounts for up to 97% of all omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and up to 93% of all omega-3 fatty acids in the retina. It is the only omega-3 fatty acid that is directly correlated with infant brain and eye development. Furthermore, infants fed formula with high levels of EPA have shown problems with growth, particularly when the formula is not supplemented with ARA. Consequently, EPA is not recommended as an essential component of infant formulas by any of the expert bodies.
  • Because life'sDHA™ is from algae grown outside of the ocean and not from fish, it is free of any unwanted ocean-borne contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins.
  • life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™ are produced from non-GMO sources and are both Kosher and Halal.
  • The superior quality of life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™ allows for easier product formulation and the inclusion of these oils will not compromise the finished product’s sensory qualities.
  • Martek is extremely proficient in the production and refinement of nutritional oils and has a history of commercial success.
Product Safety:

life'sDHA™and life'sARA™ have been extensively evaluated for safety both as individual products and as blends. In vivo and in vitro testing procedures have been used to evaluate the safety of Martek’s products.

  • In 2003, Food Standards Australia New Zealand concluded that life'sDHA™ (DHASCO®) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO®) are safe for use in infant formula.
  • In October of 2002, Canada’s government health agency, Health Canada, completed a favorable review of Martek’s submission supporting the use of its proprietary life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO) oils in infant formulas in Canada.
  • In May of 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed a favorable review of Martek's generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notification regarding the use of its life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO) oil blend in infant formula.
  • In 1996, the Committee on Toxicology of the United Kingdom independently evaluated and approved life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO) as safe for use in preterm and term infant formula. The Ministry of Health in France also approved life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and Martek's ARA (ARASCO) for use in infant formula.
  • In 1995, an independent panel of preeminent toxicologists and nutritionists in the U.S. concluded that life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO) are GRAS for use in preterm and term infant formula. In 1996, the same panel concluded that life'sDHA™ is GRAS for use by adults, including pregnant and lactating women.
  • Also in 1995, the Regulatory Office of the Ministry of Health in The Netherlands independently evaluated and approved life'sDHA™ (DHASCO) and life'sARA™ (ARASCO) as safe for use in preterm and term infant formula.

In addition to these evaluations, life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™ have a proven history of use in both preterm and term infants. Martek’s oils have been used in infant formula since 1994 and to date we estimate that over 24 million babies, including more than 500,000 preterm infants, have been fed infant formulas containing life'sDHA™ and life'sARA™.