Results of Study in Pre-School Children Published in Clinical Pediatrics Adds to Support for Importance of Dietary ...( COLUMBIA Md. June 26 /- A study p...)

COLUMBIA, Md., June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A study published in the May issue of Clinical Pediatrics indicates that higher DHA levels are associated with improved listening comprehension and vocabulary skills in preschool children. The study, "Assessing the Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid on Cognitive Functions in Healthy, Preschool Children: A Randomized, Placebo- Controlled, Double-Blind Study," evaluated whether DHA supplementation had an effect on four tests of cognitive function. The research demonstrated that supplementation with 400 mg of DHA per day significantly increased the amount of DHA in the blood of the children. While the researchers did not find any statistically significant differences in the scores between the placebo and treatment groups for any of the four tests, a preplanned regression analysis yielded a statistically significant positive association between a higher DHA level in the blood and higher scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III). PPVT-III is a cognitive test designed to measure listening comprehension and vocabulary skills, and performance on the test is an indicator of school readiness.

"DHA is a building block of the brain and is important to brain development and function throughout life," said Dr. Edward B. Nelson, medical director for Martek. "The finding that higher levels of DHA in the blood are associated with better cognitive performance in pre-school children is an extension of the evidence of the beneficial effects of DHA supplementation seen during pregnancy and infancy."

Funded by Martek Biosciences and conducted at 11 sites across the United States under the management of Premier Research Laboratories, this randomized, placebo-controlled and double-blind study evaluated the effect of DHA supplementation on the cognitive function of healthy, four-year-old children. The 175 children in the study were given either 400 mg per day of Martek's life'sDHA(TM) or a placebo for four mont
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