Brainy breast-fed babies

Peter Willatts of the psychology department has discovered that a newborn baby's diet can affect its mental agility at school. Tests have shown that babies who were given long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) which are naturally found in breast milk are quicker to understand and solve problems. Reporting his findings to the Milupa infant nutrition global conference, Dr Willatts explained the results of a study which had given milk formula with LCP supplements to 150 babies. He said: "Breastfeeding is best for babies but not always possible. The aim of the latest study was to investigate the long-term effects of using LCPs, particularly to see if there was any difference in speed of taking decisions and IQ of the children in the two groups.

Both groups were asked to complete a series of tasks involving a succession of picture matching. The children were asked to find a picture identical to the one they were given among several others that were slightly different in colour or design. Both groups had no difficulty in completing the tests, but the group given the LCP supplement from birth were measurably faster in finding the correct images and other intelligence tests showed them to be more efficient in understanding and solving problems."

This is the first evidence to confirm the long-term importance of LCPs in the diet during infancy for development of mental abilities in later childhood.

Dr Willatts' research group is also exploring the possibility that LCP supplementation may, in addition, influence the maturation of other organs in the body at this crucial period of development. Preliminary data from the current study indicate that LCP supplementation during infancy may be associated with lower blood pressure in later childhood.

Peter's team is about to undertake a 2-year study of the effects of LCPs on development in children aged 6 to 18 months. This will be the first study of its kind to look at LCPs across this age range.

Dr Willatts will be travelling to the Far East in April to deliver a lecture in China at the invitation of the Chinese government. He will also be lecturing in the Philippines and Singapore.

Caption Peter Willatts

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