DHA and AA May Make Kids Smarter

DALLAS--According to a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment (NICHD), adding DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid) to infantformula boosted the average intelligence scores in a group of 18-month-old children. BothDHA and AA are believed to play a role in the development of the nervous system.

"This study is an important step in the comprehensive array of studies needed todetermine whether these substances should be added to infant formula," said DuaneAlexander, M.D., director of the NICHD.

The study tested the intelligence scores of 56 18-month-old children. Divided intothree groups, one group received formula containing only DHA, another received formulacontaining DHA and AA and the control group received a commercial infant formula that didnot contain either substance. All three groups of children were enrolled in the studywithin five days of their birth and received one of the three formula types for 17 weeks.

The results showed that the children differed significantly on the Mental DevelopmentIndex (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSIDII). This index measures smallchildren's memory, their ability to solve simple problems and their language capabilities.The children in the control had an average MDI score of 98--slightly below the nationalaverage of 100. The DHA group received an average score of 102.4, and the DHA plus AAgroup received an average score of 105. According to the researchers, a seven pointdifference represents a significant change in the performance of children.

A study is being planned with 150 children to support this new research. Also, theresearchers plan additional studies to assess the metabolic effects of DHA and AA on thebody. There will be a follow-up study to see if these gains in intelligence scores persistinto early childhood.