Breastfeeding Boost IQ In Infants With 'Helpful' Genetic Variant

Breastfeeding Boost IQ In Infants With 'Helpful' Genetic Variant - ScienceDaily
2007.11.06
"...in two studies of breast-fed infants involving more than 3,000 children in Britain and New Zealand, breastfeeding was found to raise intelligence an average of nearly 7 IQ points if the children had a particular version of a gene called FADS2..."It is this genetic variant in FADS2, a gene involved in the control of fatty acid pathways, that may help the children make better use of the breast milk and promote the brain development that is associated with a higher IQ score," said Julia Kim-Cohen, assistant professor of psychology at Yale..."Children who do not carry the 'helpful' genetic variant have normal average IQ scores," Kim-Cohen said. "Being breastfed for them is not associated with an IQ advantage."...Ninety percent of the children in the two study groups had at least one copy of the "C" version of FADS2, which yielded higher IQ if they were breast-fed. The other 10 percent, with only the "G" versions of the gene, showed no IQ advantage or disadvantage from breastfeeding...The gene was singled out for the researchers' attention because it produces an enzyme that helps convert dietary fatty acids into the polyunsaturated fatty acids DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid) that have been shown to accumulate in the human brain during the first months after birth...laboratory studies in which rodents and primates were fed supplemental fatty acids have shown increased brain DHA concentrations and enhanced abilities in tests of learning, memory and problem-solving..."Our findings support the idea that the nutritional content of breast milk accounts for the differences seen in human IQ," Moffitt said. "But it's not a simple all-or-none connection: it depends to some extent on the genetic makeup of each infant."..."

Gene explains why breast-feeding makes kids smarter - Yahoo! News
2007.11.05
"...researchers ruled out alternate explanations, saying the effect of FADS2 applied equally to babies with normal and low birth weight. The effect was also the same no matter the mother's social class or IQ...The team also tested the mothers' DNA and concluded that the FADS2 gene did not somehow alter the quality of breast milk..."We took cells from the children and then analyzed DNA and then we compared how they scored on IQ tests and looked up if they were breast-fed as babies," Moffitt said in a telephone interview. "It was very straightforward."..."

The greatest boost to IQ and memory seems to come from prenatal choline supplementation. ""Taking a nutrient called choline during pregnancy could "super-charge" children's brains for life"

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Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory potential

Study finds omega-3 greater anti-inflammatory potential NutraIngredients.com 7/30/07 "An increased intake of fish oil over vegetable oil can help reduce the inflammation of various tissue and organs...omega-3 fish oil has a greater effect of decreasing the formulation of chemicals called prostanoids than the equivalent from vegetable oil...a relative increase in fish oil lowered the amount of prostanoids from vegetable oil...Prostanoids, when produced in excess, increase inflammation in various tissues and organs...Certain beneficial effects of fish oil may result from altered PG metabolism resulting from increases in the EPA/AA ratios of precursor phospholipids." ...The in vitro study found that an increase fatty acid high in EPA had a greater effect on inhibiting the creation of prostanoids from omega-6 in the COX-1 enzyme. "

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EPA offers slight advantage over DHA against colorectal cancer

Different omega-3 may offer different colorectal protection NutraIngredients.com 7/11/07 "Increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids from marine source, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may offer differing levels of protection against colorectal cancer...Increased intake of EPA was associated with a 41 per cent reduction in risk, while DHA was associated with a 37 per cent reduction in risk, comparing highest against lowest average intakes...It has previously been proposed that omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit the omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) cascade that has been linked to cancer formation and cell proliferation.Metabolism of fatty acids produces compounds called prostaglandins, which can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory. The prostaglandins derived from omega-3 fatty acids are said to be anti-inflammatory and may protect against the development of cancer, while prostaglandins derived from omega-6 fatty acids, like AA, are proposed to be pro-inflammatory..."

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