As a matter of fact, here we have a *very well done* study disproving the myth of superior intelligence due to DHA (and the need to add it to better, more expensive formulas...) from Arch Dis Child 2009;XX:XX–XX. doi: 10.1136/adc.2009.165050

Breastfeeding, the use of docosahexaenoic acid-fortifi ed formulas in infancy and neuropsychological function in childhood
Catharine R Gale,1 Lynne D Marriott,1 Christopher N Martyn,1 Jennifer Limond,2 Hazel M Inskip,1 Keith M Godfrey,1 Catherine M Law,3 Cyrus Cooper,1 Carolyn West,2 Siân M Robinson,1 for the Southampton Women’s Survey Study Group

ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the relation between breastfeeding, use of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)- fortifi ed formula and neuropsychological function in children.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Southampton, UK.
Subjects: 241 children aged 4 years followed up from birth.
Main outcome measures: IQ measured by the Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence (3rd edn), visual attention, visuomotor precision, sentence repetition and verbal fl uency measured by the NEPSY, and visual form-constancy measured by the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (Non-Motor).
Results: In unadjusted analyses, children for whom breast milk or DHA-fortifi ed formula was the main method of feeding throughout the fi rst 6 months of life had higher mean full-scale and verbal IQ scores at age 4 years than those fed mainly unfortifi ed formula. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, particularly maternal IQ and educational attainment, the differences in IQ between children in the breast milk and unfortifi ed formula groups were severely attenuated, but children who were fed DHA-fortifi ed formula had full-scale and verbal IQ scores that were respectively 5.62 (0.98 to 10.2) and 7.02 (1.56 to 12.4) points higher than childrenfed unfortifi ed formula. However, estimated total intake of DHA in milk up to age 6 months was not associated with subsequent IQ or with score on any other test.
Conclusions: Differences in children’s intelligence according to type of milk fed in infancy may be due more to confounding by maternal or family characteristics than to the amount of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids
they receive in milk.

Silia Armeni
pediatrician , IBCLC
Rome (Italy)

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