According to a recent study, nursing mothers' breast milk can be enriched significantly with the essential nutrient DHA in a matter of days using functional foods. The study was conducted by Dr. Margaret Craig-Schmidt, professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Auburn University. The results of the study were announced at the annual meeting of the Institute for Food Technologists. The study showed that lactating women who ate DHA-enriched eggs increased the level of DHA in their milk to the level recommended by a panel of experts for infant formula fortification. The eggs are enriched using a natural vegetarian source of DHA Omega-3 fatty acid, DHA GOLD, produced by OmegaTech, an American R&D company working on natural bioactive ingredients for use in functional foods, infant and early childhood nutrition products. The study documented the experiences of lactating women who consumed 300 mg/d from DHA GOLD contained in eggs. Women who ate two DHA-enriched eggs a day doubled the amount of DHA in their breast milk in just four days and maintained this level of DHA as long as they continued to eat the DHA-rich eggs daily. DHA has been shown to enhance human cognitive and visual development when provided as part of specially designed infant formulas. "The results of this study are a significant milestone for the DHA Omega-3 functional food market," said Dr. Mary Van Elswyk, vice president of scientific affairs for OmegaTech. "The benefits seen after only four days of supplementation were substantial, which means a nursing mother can enrich her milk and pass along better nutrition to her infant in less than a week." Source: OmegaTech
