Food Business News - March 13, 2012 - 33

Health and Wellness

brain power
Omega-3s have many beneﬁts, but brain health has moved to the forefront
here have not been many food and beverage products designed to boost brain health, but new studies are providing evidence omega-3s may improve cognition. A recent study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found a diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids may cause the brain to age faster and lose some memory and thinking abilities. The study measured omega-3s in red blood ural cells and tested structural aging indications of the ve brain as well as cognitive functions. The study looked at 1,575 individuals with an average age of 67. “People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” said Zaldy S. Tan, author of the study and staff member at the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California at Los Angeles. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3s also had the poorest performance on visual memory and abstract thinking tests.

“It’s signiﬁcant because it shows these nutrients are related to structural brain aging … and also to performance, memory and other cognitive functions that affect not only the structure but the function of the brain as well,” Dr. Tan said. While he said it’s premature based on this study to make speciﬁc medical recommendations about brain health and omega-3s, Dr. Tan said when this study is taken into context with other similar studies it is enough evidence for consu consumers to be aware of th beneﬁt. He said in this the future the impacts o omega-3s on brain of h health should be looked a in other populations at a the actual rates of and d dementia among those w different levels of with o omega-3s also should b studied. be Another study, publ lished in the on-line i issue of Neurology, f found those who had d diets high in several v vitamins (C,D,E and B) o in omega-3s were or l less likely to have th the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s than those whose diets were not high in such nutrients. It’s not just the elderly who may possibly benefit from omega-3s boost to the brain. Researchers at the University

of Kansas are currently doing a study to determine if prenatal nutritional supplementation with DHA, a type of omega-3, beneﬁts children’s intelligence and readiness for school. The study will follow 350 mothers who started in the program during pregnancy, with the mothers randomly assigned to take either 600 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or 600 mg of a placebo during the last half of pregnancy. “The possibility that DHA may have long-term beneﬁts for cognitive-intellectual development, particularly on measures that predict school achievement, would have enormous implications for public policy on prenatal nutrition,” said Susan Carlson, a professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Jeff Bernfeld, marketing director for life’sDHA, a DSM brand, said DSM is continually trying to promote brain health with consumers and doctors. He said the company sees brain health as important as there is increased concern about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and there aren’t many other nutrients available to assist with brain health. He said while other beneﬁts omega-3s offer, including heart-health beneﬁts, may be found in other sources, there aren’t many alternative sources to help with brain health.

“We think brain health is a huge, emerging area much bigger than it was previously,” Mr. Bernfeld said. The next step to raise consumer intake of omega-3s is to overcome technical challenges to be able to incorporate omega3s in more end food products. Mr. Bernfeld said one of the most signiﬁcant technical challenges his company already has overcome is being able to incorporate omega-3s into skim milk. Omega-3s typically work best in products with more fat. While he said they may put their DHA into almost any product, he did note that shelf-stable, clear beverages such as bottled water present challenges. The DSM ingredient is included in various end products such as Dempster’s Smart Bread from Maple Leaf Foods, Horizon organic milk from WhiteWave Foods, Life Balance Flour Tortillas from Mission, and many infant and children’s products. According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, there were 68 products introduced in 2011 with functional brain and nervous system claims, up from 66 in 2010 and 56 in 2009. FBN

ALLISON GIBESON
agibeson@sosland.com

March 13, 2012

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