Martek has had a number of press releases over the last year or two touting
the importance of DHA.  At least they do mention it is naturally occurring in
breast milk, but they are marketing it as an additive to formula.  The reports
all conclude that it should be added to formula, even though it will increase
the cost of the formula. Why doesn't anybody come to the logical conclusion
that mothers should bf?  Because then Martek - " a company that licensed DHA
to manufacturer Mead Johnson " - wouldn't make any money.
Cynthia D. Payne
LLL of Berkshire County Mass.
*************************************
<<  Infants deprived of breast milk may be at higher risk for developing
schizophrenia later in life, according to a recent study published in the
British Journal of Psychiatry.  The study suggests that a lack of DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid), a key fatty acid found in breast milk, may contribute
to this risk.  This hypothesis is
consistent with the results of an earlier study that documented the
correlation between low levels of DHA and schizophrenia in adults.
          In his study Robin G. McCreadie, M.D., of the Crichton Royal
Hospital in Scotland notes that "schizophrenic patients are less likely to
have been breast-fed, and those who have not been breast-fed are more likely
to have the neurodevelopmental form of the illness."  The results show that
during childhood, schizophrenics who were not breast- fed "had more schizoid
and schizotypal traits, and were more poorly adjusted"  than their siblings
(who are more likely to have been breast-fed).  In addition, the results show
that patients who were not breast-fed had a lower mean IQ than breast-fed
patients.
          "A lack of important fatty acids, such as DHA, in bottle-feeds
increases the risk of the neurodevelopmental form of schizophrenia in the
individual predisposed to the illness by genetic factors or previous
environmental insult,"  hypothesizes Dr.  McCreadie.  He suggests that key
fatty acids found in breast milk, such as DHA, may help reduce the risk of
developing this form of schizophrenia.
          The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World
Health Organization joint expert committee on fats and oils in human nutrition
has recommended adding DHA to infant formulas at levels historically found in
breast milk.  Formulas incorporating DHA have recently been introduced in
parts of Europe and Asia.  In the United States, the only way babies can get
DHA is through breast milk because the fatty acid has not yet been
incorporated into infant formulas.
          DHA, an omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, is the
building block of human brain tissue and the primary structural fatty acid in
the gray matter of the brain.  DHA ensures the fluidity of brain cell
membranes, essential for the transmission of nerve signals in the brain.  Last
month at a conference held at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center,
leading researchers identified DHA as critical for mental well-being and
revealed low DHA levels to be a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's and
dementia.  They also discussed the correlation between low blood levels of DHA
and a number of other behavioral and neurological conditions including ADHD
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), hostility and depression.>>
ALSO......
<< Martek Biosciences Corporation (NASDAQ: MATK) today announced a National
Institutes of Health-sponsored study authored by Birch, Hoffman, Uauy, Birch
and Prestidge published in the August 1998 edition of PEDIATRIC RESEARCH which
concludes that early dietary intake of preformed DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
plus AA (arachidonic acid) appears necessary for optimal development of the
brain and eye.
     The study also reported that infants fed formula supplemented with
Martek's DHA and AA had visual development results consistent with breast-fed
infants. This randomized clinical study of one hundred and eight term infants
is the first to show a persistent effect in visual acuity development in term
infants related to dietary intake of DHA. Infants fed formula without DHA and
AA had a deficiency of about "one line on an eye chart" compared to the breast
milk and DHA plus AA fed babies. A number of earlier studies have shown the
importance of dietary DHA to brain and visual development in pre-term infants
     "This study is one of the most compelling in support of DHA and AA
supplementation for all infant formulas," said Henry Linsert Jr., Martek's
Chairman and CEO. "It is time for all formula fed infants to have access to
these critical nutrients." The study indicates that infant formula without
preformed DHA and AA may put infants at risk for DHA deficiency. Additionally,
the study suggests that the availability of dietary DHA during this critical
developmental period may lead to favorable persistent changes in the
underlying neural structure and/or function of infants.
     Martek's DHA and AA oils are vegetable oils containing two essential
long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, DHA and AA, which are fundamental
building blocks of the brain and the retina. DHA and AA are naturally
delivered to babies through breast milk. The British Nutrition Foundation and
the Joint Expert Committee on Human Nutrition of the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) have
recommended that DHA and AA be included in all infant formulas. An 18-year
study published in the January 1998 edition of PEDIATRICS cited DHA as the
"likely" breast milk nutrient that provided the improved academic outcome
experienced by breastfed children. Another 1998 study published in METABOLISM
suggested that providing infants with DHA may protect them from noninsulin-
dependent diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other diseases associated with
impaired glucose metabolism.>>
ALSO
<<WASHINGTON (AP) - A fat found in breast milk that appears vital for
newborns' brain and eye development is at the center of a fierce debate:
should the government add this nutrient to the nation's infant formulas?
      European women already can buy formulas supplemented with the fatty acid
DHA, but no formula sold in this country contains it.
      A company that licensed DHA to manufacturer Mead Johnson contends U.S.
companies aren't yet selling his nutrient mainly because it would increase
formula prices by 10 cents a can.
      ``Unless the public is demanding it, it's difficult to add it to the
product so the mom knows why she's spending another 10 cents,'' said David
Kyle of Martek Biosciences, a Maryland laboratory that sells DHA culled from
microscopic marine algae.
      Supporters say premature infants especially need the fat, arguing it
would make formula more like mothers' milk. They cite studies that show
breast-fed babies seem slightly smarter than formula-fed infants, and
speculate DHA could help bottle-fed babies catch up.
      But other doctors urge caution, saying any benefits appear small while
fat-supplemented formula might actually slow babies' physical growth. The
American Academy of Pediatrics says the science is ``too limited'' to decide.
      ``Even if you add DHA ... you're not mimicking mothers' milk,'' which
has numerous additional nutrients, warned Dr. William Heird of the Children's
Nutrition Research Center at Baylor University.
      ``Formula should be the best it can be,'' countered Jan Richter of
Action for Corporate Accountability, a consumer group harshly critical of
formula.
      And the debate is highly political: Formula maker Ross Laboratories,
reportedly skeptical of DHA, took the unusual step this weekend of flying
scientists to Arizona to argue recent discoveries in a closed meeting.
      Consumer advocates argue manufacturers should absorb the extra cost.
They say companies charge more than $2 a can wholesale for formula that costs
less than $1 a can to make.
      Now the Food and Drug Administration is trying to decide the
controversy. It hired independent experts to recommend whether DHA and related
nutrients should be added to any formula, either for premature babies or
healthy ones.
      ``Those questions are very, very hotly contested,'' said FDA special
nutrients chief Beth Yetley.
      What is undisputed:
      DHA is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, present in fish and other foods,
that women pass to babies through the uterus and breast milk. People also make
DHA from another fat already in U.S. formulas, called linolenic acid, although
no one is sure how much babies make.
      DHA is important for early neurological development.
      Breast-fed babies develop slightly higher IQs than bottle-fed ones,
although many scientists credit that to breast-feeding mothers' typical higher
education and income. Still, bottle-fed babies have less DHA than breast-fed
ones. And premature infants, most susceptible to neurological problems, have
less time to absorb their mothers' DHA.
      The question is whether adding DHA to formula helps babies.
      Dr. Susan Carlson of the University of Tennessee, Memphis, found DHA-
supplemented formula helped premature babies develop good vision somewhat
faster.
      Some studies indicate DHA formula also helps them score higher on
vision-attention tests believed to predict intelligence.
      But Carlson also found one DHA formula that hindered premature babies'
physical growth.
      The fish-oil supplement she used contained both DHA and a related fat
that appeared to be the problem. So Carlson repeated her experiment with less
of the bad fat and more DHA. This time, she will tell an FDA hearing next
month, the supplemented babies were less than a pound smaller than the
regular-fed ones.
      That small effect ``could be considered an acceptable tradeoff for the
higher ... (visual) acuity and enhanced maturation of neural development,''
Carlson wrote.
      Even if using pure DHA is the answer, DHA levels in breast milk differ
greatly from mother to mother, leaving scientists unsure how much formula
would need.
      Indeed, adult Americans' average DHA levels have dropped in the last 40
years because of changing diets. Yet there is no sign younger generations are
less intelligent or have poorer vision, Heird said.
      He says healthy babies don't need DHA, but advises the FDA to await
larger studies of premature babies before deciding on their formula needs.
      ``No one's claiming this stuff makes brilliant babies,'' said University
of Pittsburgh child-development director Robert McCall. ``If it does anything,
it prevents relative ... disadvantages in premature babies.'' >>