DHA Not The Secret Ingredient
Long Chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) have generated considerable interest in recent years. Early animal studies suggested that low levels of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) could interfere with brain development in unborn and newborn babies. However, findings from studies in children were inconsistent. A Cochrane review found that use of enriched formulas in term infants had no proven benefit regarding vision, cognition, or physical growth.
Research methods
Aiming to dispel the myth that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) makes babies smarter, researchers from the United Kingdom (UK) followed 241 children from birth until four years of age. The children were divided into three groups: those that were breastfed, those that were fed DHA-fortified formulas, and those fed unfortified formulas. Researchers monitored feeding regimes and measured verbal abilities and attention span.
Study results
After controlling for mother’s IQ, education level, and social status and baby’s birth weight, the researchers found no relationship between the type of milk fed and children’s IQ.
“We do know that there are clear health benefits to breastfeeding but DHA, which is naturally present in breast milk and added to some formulas, is not the secret ingredient that will turn your child into an Einstein,” said Dr. Catharine Gale, lead researcher.
These results contradict earlier findings showing that not having DHA during critical time periods may lead to problems in brain development. While children in the breastfed group and the DHA-enriched formula-fed group had higher verbal IQ scores compared to those fed unfortified formulas, the differences did not appear to be due to the amount of DHA. The factors that most influenced brain development were the mothers’ intelligence and the level of mental stimulation the children received.
Bottom line
If DHA-fortified formulas don’t make babies smarter, perhaps those added dollars could be better spent helping mothers feed their babies the way nature intended them to be fed.
Interesting take on the study, but you forgot to mention the main point of their research: after adjusting for the confounding factors they mentioned, they found no difference between the breast fed babies and the formula fed babies, either. So regardless of whether or not DHA is the “secret ingredient”, at least according to this study, breastmilk will not give your kids an intellectual boost.
I don’t mean to be argumentative, but I do think it is strange that Ms. Spangler would leave out this important aspect to the study.
Thank you for your comment. I’m sorry if I was unclear. I thought that my statement, “The factors that most influenced brain development were the mothers’ intelligence and the level of mental stimulation the children received,” clearly communicated that the differences in IQ were not attributed to the type of milk fed but to the mothers’ IQ and their interaction with their children.
While longer duration of breastfeeding has been linked with higher intelligence in children in two previous studies, one by Gale (2004) and one by Kramer (2008), this most recent study suggests that if there is an association between breastfeeding and IQ, it is likely not due to the DHA content of human milk.