Pregnant & Nursing Supplementation With DHA Improves 4 Year Olds IQ
Wednesday January 8, 10:16 am ET
Study Shows 4 Year Olds Exposed to Elevated DHA Levels Score Higher on Intelligence Test
COLUMBIA, Md., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK - News) today commented on the results of a study published in the January 2003 edition of the journal Pediatrics. The study's findings demonstrated that mothers who supplemented their diet with fatty acids rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy and lactation gave birth to children who scored higher on standardized intelligence and achievement tests at four years of age than those whose mothers supplemented with fatty acids that do not contain DHA.
ADVERTISEMENT
Researchers conducting the randomized, double-blind trial enrolled women during the 18th week of pregnancy and supplemented their diets with one of two different polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Participants received either cod liver oil (containing very-long-chain n-3 PUFA rich in DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids) or corn oil (a long-chain n-6 PUFA with no DHA content) from the point of enrollment until three months after childbirth. Researchers then completed assessments of intelligence using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 84 child subjects once they reached four years of age.
Study data demonstrated that children born to mothers who had taken the cod liver oil, which is rich in DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids, during pregnancy and lactation scored significantly higher (approximately 4.1 points) on the Mental Processing Composite of the K-ABC test as compared to children whose mothers had received corn oil. The study's researchers classified these increases as significant, concluding, "Didactic procedures increasing IQ with 4 points among school children, with no harmful side effects, would immediately be implemented in schools."
"These findings further validate the growing literature supporting the benefits of DHA in two important ways," stated Henry "Pete" Linsert, Jr., Martek Chairman and CEO. "First, this is the only study that has specifically measured IQ in order to quantify the developmental benefits associated with DHA supplementation. Second, by showing an improvement in intelligence at four years of age, this study demonstrates that the developmental benefits of DHA persist well beyond infancy."
Martek Biosciences Corporation has developed a vegetarian, contaminant- free, Kosher, Halal omega-3 DHA manufactured under FDA inspected, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions. DHA is found in human breast-milk and has been found in numerous clinical studies to provide neurological development benefits in infants and cardiovascular benefits in adults. Martek's plant- derived DHA is the only DHA that has been reviewed by the FDA and cleared for use in U.S. infant formulas. This contaminant-free DHA is also available nationwide as an adult nutritional supplement under the trade name "Neuromins®."
Martek Biosciences Corporation develops, manufactures and sells products from microalgae. The Company's products include: (1) specialty, nutritional oils for infant formula that aid in the development of the eyes and central nervous system in newborns; (2) nutritional supplements and food ingredients that may play a beneficial role in promoting mental and cardiovascular health throughout life; and (3) new, powerful fluorescent markers for diagnostics, rapid miniaturized screening, and gene and protein detection.
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Martek's products. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause future actual results to differ due to a variety of risk factors, including without limitation those factors set forth in Martek's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Pete Buzy, Chief Financial Officer, of Martek Biosciences Corporation, +1-410-740-0081 |
