After reading various posts over this past week on Lipil and DHA, I am amazed
that no one has mentioned the words--genetically engineered.  I find this
kinda like the codependent family who never says the word alcholic in regard
to a member of the family--calling it a health problem or just a problem.  If
we don't say it, it isn't a problem.  If we don't identify it, then no one
will know about it.  Which of course helps the alcholic to continue to drink
because no one can say to his/her face that he/she
is an alcholic.  Thus we can continue to talk about the addition of DHA as if
it is some kind of natural food supplement made from fish or eggs or algae or
fungi.

The DHA made by Martek and put into infant formula and used as supplements
for pregnant and nursing mothers is genetically engineered.  Read this twice,
maybe three times.

Here is an abstract from a Conference called "International Molecular Farming
Conference in 1999. Martek had an abstract and presentation.  By the way
molecular farming is about genetic engineering.  Note the last sentence of
this abstract about moving genes back and forth and the year 1999.  But I
suppose we can all continue to discuss Lipil and DHA supplementation as if it
is a little fish, eggs, slimy algae or fungi.  We wouldn't want people to be
too uncomfortable about it....
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

http://res2.agr.ca/intiatives/mf99/abstracts_presentation.html#workshop10




Production of an Edible Oil Which is Highly Enriched in Docosahexaenoic Acid
from Microalgae. <A HREF="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Kyle, D.J.</A>, Martek Biosciences Corporation, 6480 Dobbin Rd,
Columbia, MD 21045, USA.


> Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is the primary structural fatty acid in the
> membranes of neurological tissues. It is an essential nutrient in the diet
> of infants and deficiencies of DHA have been correlated with chronic
> neurological disorders including attention deficit disorder and depression.
>  Although DHA can be obtained from fish, the primary producers of DHA in
> the biosphere are the phytoplankton in the sea. We have optimized the
> fermentative growth of a specific marine algal species to produce a
> triglyceride oil enriched to over 40% with DHA. Commercial quantities of
> the DHA-rich oil are now being produced under GMP conditions at full scale
> for use in food products ranging from infant formula to dietary
> supplements. We have now developed a capability of moving genes into, and
> out of these algae, thereby allowing the possibility of developing new
> transgenic oilseed crop plants which produce DHA.
>
>

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