The secret of breast milk’s success?

Despite a growing body of evidence that docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA,
is the essential structural ingredient of breast milk lacking in infant
formulas, the Food and Drug Administration continues to ban its use in
the U.S.

A recent series of studies conducted worldwide indicate that
breast-fed babies have an IQ of 6-10 points higher than formula-fed
babies. Scientists and nutritional experts attribute this to DHA, an
essential structural component of the brain and retina, found naturally
in mother’s milk.

DHA has received glowing recommendations from the World Health
Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations and the National Institutes of Health.

Approximately 60 percent of the human brain is composed of fatty
material — 25 percent of that material is DHA. Since humans cannot
produce it, they must consume it. Studies show that the DHA level of
women in America today are comparable to that of women in Third World
countries. This is attributed to the trend against eating DHA-rich
foods such as fish, liver and brain.

During the last trimester of a pregnancy is when the mother transfers
to her fetus much of the DHA needed for the development of its brain and
nervous system. The DHA content in the mother’s diet reflects in the
amount of DHA passed on to the baby. If the baby is not breast-fed at
all, it receives no DHA, thus hindering and impairing mental and visual
acuity. DHA levels of pre-mature infants are especially low since they
miss much of that last trimester. Premies are also more likely to be
bottle-fed.

In 1996, Frank Oski, retired chairman of pediatrics at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, led a DHA campaign in which a
plethora of outraged researchers and pediatricians bombarded the FDA
with over 1,000 letters pleading and demanding that they “ensure the
health and welfare of our children” by mandating or at least allowing
the addition of DHA to infant formula.

According to Oski, “Breast milk is the best and safest form of
nutrition for infants. Therefore, in determining infant formula
nutritional specifications, FDA should apply the Infant Formula Act’s
clear intention that infant formulas match as closely as possible the
functional composition of human breast milk.”

The Infant Formula Act came about as a result of an infant formula
company’s decision to put soft water in their formula. Because of the
low level of awareness at that time, not a lot of thought was given to
the fact that they were removing an essential component — chloride.
The result was a surge of nightmare rushes to the emergency room.
Babies were skipping heartbeats, getting severely ill, and dying. The
formula was found to be chloride-deficient. After this fiasco, Congress
decided that such a product needed to be more closely monitored. They
passed the Infant Formula Act of 1980, which made the FDA the sole
regulator of infant formula.

The WHO and the BNF (British Nutrition Foundation) recommend that
infant formula be supplemented with DHA at .35-.5 percent by weight. At
this suggestion many European and Asian countries are producing infant
formula with DHA and making recommendations of daily allowances. The
American company, Wyeth Nutritionals, does make infant formula that
contains DHA; however, it is marketed in Hong Kong, the Middle East and
Australia since distribution is banned in the US.

Dr. David Kyle, chief of research at Martek Biosciences Corporation,
has been involved in several studies involving DHA. He has consistently
observed that formula-fed babies have far lower levels of visual and
intellectual acuity than do their breast-fed peers.

“The issue is that the only way babies in America can get adequate
amounts of DHA is from the mother, therefore mothers should breast feed
as long as possible. Infant formulas are deficient. Formula-fed babies
do much worse than breast fed babies. People are not willing to
recognize that infant formula is a problem, but we do have a solution —
a way to make formula closer to breast milk. The simple addition of DHA
fixes the problem.”

Martek is one of the leading manufacturers of DHA supplements —
their algae-based Neuromins claim to provide DHA in its purest possible
form.

So what is holding back this “miracle drug?” FDA continues to insist
that not enough research has been done to prove DHA’s benefits, or to
prove that DHA has no harmful side effects.

Ross Laboratories, producers of Similac — one of the nation’s
foremost infant formulas, has been in long-term opposition to the
addition of DHA in infant formula. Dr. Nancy Auestad, a senior clinical
research scientist for Ross, said that there were potential benefits of
breast-feeding; however, there was not a consensus that the benefits
should be attributed to DHA.

Auestad also commented that it is difficult to determine what form of
DHA would be the most similar to breast-milk. “It is not as simple as
taking a pure source and putting it in infant formula … it is far more
complex.”

In response to the WHO’s recommendation she said, “You have to look
at it in a historical context. The WHO’s recommendation came out in
1994, as of that time, no clinical studies had been completed suggesting
that DHA should be added to formula. In 1995 we received the first
clinical data, and the evidence was not there … we have to let the
science lead us.”

Auestad was involved in a recent study where a portion of the DHA
supplemented infants were shown to have lower vocabulary development.

Bill Wolfson, also of Ross Labs, commented that “When changing public
policy, one needs to be very careful … our motto is ‘do no harm.'”

Both Auestad and Wolfson agreed that science is constantly changing,
and the revelation of stronger evidence and more consensus in literature
may change their position. But as of now they have not seen conclusive
results.

“We can’t predict what kind of future evidence we will need to change
our opinion,” concluded Wolfson.

Similac’s primary rival, Enfamil, is produced by Mead-Johnson — who
is very much in favor of putting DHA in infant formula.

The FDA neglected to respond to a series of phone calls from
WorldNetDaily.

Dennis Hoffman of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest said that he
and his organization supported the findings of the WHO and NIH. He also
commented that the FDA has put other ingredients into infant formula
with much less research behind them.

“The research has been minor, nothing compared to the hoops we’re
jumping through with DHA,” said Hoffman.

DHA may have many uses beyond the cradle. Studies show that low DHA
intake in infancy can lead or contribute to Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Marcia
Zimmerman, author of “The ADD Nutrition Solution,” has been involved in
nutritional biochemistry for the last 25 years — and is especially
fascinated with behavioral problems.

“ADD cannot be identified by any lab test,” Zimmerman contends, “it
is purely a psychological disorder.” She says that ADD is very often
misdiagnosed, since other “co-existing conditions” such as dyslexia can
get in the way.

Her book is a scientifically-based approach on how to identify and
treat ADD, while avoiding or reducing the use of Ritalin. Using her
“30-day plan,” Zimmerman claims that the disorder can be reversed if the
proper diet is used. She recommends proteins earlier in the day to
stimulate the learning level, and carbohydrates and vegetables later in
the day to calm. This should be accompanied by 400mg of Neuromins per
day.

“Ritalin doesn’t cure anything, diet does,” said Zimmerman. “Ritalin
is very useful and has improved the lives of many kids. It can stop
some very negative circumstances, but it should be accompanied by other
methodologies.”

Zimmerman believes that the reason the FDA will not approve the
addition of DHA to infant formula is that DHA is not yet on the GRAS
(Generally Recognized As Safe) list. In order for DHA to be put on the
GRAS list, sufficient studies must be done in the country. This
presents a “Catch-22” situation, since these kinds of studies are
prohibited in the US.

Bill Taylor, a retired engineer who teaches elementary-aged ADD
children as a volunteer, has seen first hand how DHA can be used to
treat ADD. Mr. Taylor is also on the forefront of the infant formula
debate.

Taylor and others who have done their homework on the widespread DHA
problem are suspicious that the government may be under pressure from
prominent drug companies (such as Novartis who manufactures Ritalin) to
keep DHA out of the mainstream.

“There is a lot of money at stake,” says Taylor, “scientists are
dependent on drug companies for research grants.”

Recent studies have also indicated that low levels of DHA contribute
to many major physical and psychological disorders such as depression,
aggression, Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Kyle told Women’s World last May that “DHA helps supply the brain
with serotonin, the ‘feel good’ hormone that regulates moods … [and]
makes you less vulnerable to stress and depression.”

A study done on Japanese students during the high stress period of
final exams showed that students supplemented with DHA were
significantly less aggressive than students who were not supplemented
with DHA.

Over 1200 patients participated in an epidemiological study that
showed that people with high DHA levels were 45 percent less likely to
develop dementia than people with low DHA levels. This suggests that
proper DHA intake may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

A 1997 study showed that schizophrenic patients were less likely to
have been breast-fed in infancy, and the lack of DHA during early brain
development contributes to the development of schizophrenia.

Studies show that symptoms of multiple sclerosis such as muscular
weakness, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances are
linked to subnormal levels of omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA.